The Youngest Goddess
by Azura Swan
Summary: There was only one Aslan called his Mistress, the High Queen Robecca, the youngest goddess in Heaven. Stripped of her celestial powers, she just wanted to fufill her punishment, except when she met Peter, all the rules changed. Sci-fi. Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1 Robecca

**Robecca: The Youngest Goddess**

This has been my version of the story ever since I first read it ten years ago. I tried to write it a few times in my teen years, but it was too long, so I'm going to see if anyone likes it before I continue.

Like I said, I've had this idea since I was really young (before I even knew what sex was), so there are a lot of ideas that were mine from the very beginning and I can't help it if any other movies or shows or books resemble my ideas.

**I don't own anything from C.S. Lewis's wonderful world of Narnia**, I have just been enthralled with it forever.

Also, I tweak the Christianity religion a little bit, so please forgive anything you find offensive to that faith. **(I disclaim all references to the Bible too)** I'm going off the idea that it is said the only _son_ of God was given to this world, but no where does it say that he never had any _daughters_. That's where the idea of my added character comes from. And I guess this story was originally an allegory for the Jesus story, so I might try to add a few religious scenes as well.

It's also going to take a while to get going. It is very science fiction and I'm going to be explaining a lot of celestial powers and magic. It might turn in to a complete rewrite of the key points of all the books, only told from Aslan's point of view. But mostly I consider it a story of impossible love, that love conquers all barriers no matter what.

I'll try to put more explanations in as I go, and **please comment and review** if nothing is making sense.

Well, I'll get to the story, and please be kind because this has meant a lot to me for many years.

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Robecca, the youngest goddess, stood before her father.

He was angry, and had just cause to be. She had defied his rules, broken one of his sacred laws that every being in existence was supposed to obey. She had offended the Law of Interference, and she had done it willingly.

Around her, she could sense her siblings' pity and contempt. They were near, watching. She could just see the smug look on her older brother's face, but he was also probably a little grateful that she had diverted attention away from him and to her for the moment. He didn't want to admit it, but as much as he loved his job, it was hard for him to be the mediator between mortals and her father.

All five of her older sisters would be watching her with everything from sympathy to disappointment to disgust. Even though Robecca was the baby, they all would have expected more, or at least not this from her.

Robecca felt her father's eyes searching her spirit, looking right through her to her core.

"Your defense?" That's all he would ask of her, nothing else would matter.

Beside her, her friend trembled under her father's angry voice. Robecca couldn't blame him. The sound of Father's voice was so powerful it would kill a mortal, it was painful for even Robecca and her sisters to listen to him. Only their older brother could truly speak to him without feeling any repercussions.

She laid her hand on the shoulder of her best friend who stood next to her, offering him comfort and strength, and he buried his face in her dress in response. Normally he would never passively show such meekness, but he was very nervous about the outcome of this trial. Especially for what it would mean for him. His anxiety had shrunken his form so that his head barley reached her waist when it usually was at her eye-level.

Robecca squared her shoulders and faced her father, gathering her resolve and determination. This had been her choice, and she still believed she had been right about what she had done.

"The Son of Adam was going to give up his project. He had already failed so many times that he was too disheartened to go on. I never tampered with his free will, nor did I ever insert anything into that dimension; I only suggested an alternative approach to his research."

She hoped he wasn't punished for her decision. He was a good man, a scientist who was only trying to discover the workings of her father's universe. This Son of Adam had been given such a noble spirit, with a passion and curiosity that had burned bright enough to attract her to him in the first place.

"His discovery will lead to many more. It will eventually revolutionize the whole planet, prevent needless suffering, and save lives from premature deaths for the rest-"

"And this justifies all the people who will die?" Her Father's skeptical voice interrupted her.

Robecca shrank back, fighting not to cringe. His voice left her entire body feeling like it had been pierced with millions of needles.

Her little friend cowered behind her, not able to overcome his terror after that outburst.

Poor Aslan, for all his wisdom and insight to mortal spirits, it was sometimes hard to remember how very young he was, and that he still wasn't accustomed to confrontations with her Father.

Many times in the past, she had relied upon his unconditional love and faith in her, but this time she would have to stand strong for both of them.

She lifted her chin to her Father and dared to question him.

"Such knowledge will certainly be a great benefit for mankind. How will anyone die?"

It was a viable question, she knew it was.

Then, why would her Father seem to sigh in exasperation? Even her favorite sister, Seanna, rolled her eyes as if disbelieving her ignorance.

"The Sons of Adam always turn everything against each other," her brother said as if it were the most obvious answer in existence.

"Their nature is to find a way to destroy each other using any resource or means. For all the good your little gift to humanity will do, they will find a way to make it into a weapon of destruction to guarantee their enemies cannot attack them first."

Robecca's heart sank. Unfortunately, she knew her brother was right. History had repeated time and again that the Sons of Adam tended to take something beautiful and convert it into a damaging weapon they could use to conquer their enemies.

She knew this was the truth of things, but when she had been in that laboratory, surrounded by the pure enthusiasm of unraveling a mystery, learning something no one else knew, and discovering an entirely new idea, she had forgotten that downfall of human nature.

Armede, her oldest sister, would say she was too idealistic, because she only saw the potentially good in her Father's greatest creatures.

The Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, blessed not only with spirits but with souls, and the power of free will to choose their own destinies outside of her Father's control.

They were an unpredictable species. Their emotions of love and hate could drive them to do the most senseless of things, totally disregarding any practicality or personal safety. Robecca had not been studying them for long, and Aslan not even as long as she, but she could see the great power behind the sacrificing of a life for the spirit's belief. It was beautiful and dangerous, and totally unique from any other creature her family had brought to existence.

"The knowledge you gave given them will grow and expand on many different routes. In less than a century, a great war will break out. One that will encompass the entire race, and the biggest genocide in the planet's history will occur. The weapon will be a basis of the Son of Adam's research."

Robecca could hear the regret and sadness in her Father's voice. He loved all his children, especially the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve, the most special of all peoples. It would hurt him deeply to see so many suffer and die.

And that's _exactly_ what Robecca had been trying to prevent, needless suffering. She thought she had been helping her Father by dropping hints to the Son of Adam.

But she had forgotten the number one rule of Interference: every intervention always has a negative and positive outcome.

She hadn't wanted anyone to die, but now she would be responsible an unforeseen doom of many human beings.

'_A Great War_? _And the biggest genocide in history_. _And it will all be my fault.'_

Robecca's head finally fell in shame and defeat. She knew it was too late to undo what she had done.

Her Father knew that too, that as much as he would want to, he couldn't change the consequences of her actions. The passage of time in the dimensions was always absolute and constant. There was never any going back through the Time stream. Instead, he would now have to find an adequate punishment for his youngest daughter. It was a punishment that she knew she would tolerate and accept no matter what the cost.

Seeing that his daughter understood at last where the error of her actions lay, and her acceptance of what had to be done, her Father turned away from her to decide her penalty. Robecca stood alone, without the eye of the Father upon her, and felt completely desolate. Aslan was brave enough to come from behind her and nestle her side in comfort.

"Prometheus," one of her sisters hissed at her. It was meant as an insult and struck Robecca like a whiplash.

Was she that? She had just presented a giant problem for her Father and for mankind, even though it would do some good. Maybe that name was an accurate enough description for her.

A punishment would be welcome, for she felt truly wretched now for what she had done. '_I should have just left well enough alone.'_ Should have just followed the rules her Father had laid down and simply observed, but not Interfered. The rules were supposed to protect herself and the peoples she studied while she learned the thoughts and purposes of living spirits, but now she had ruined the lives of many unborn innocents.

But still, somewhere deep inside her, a stubborn part of herself refused to believe it would only lead to disaster. She had not been wrong in thinking this discovery could do so much good for mankind. Maybe in the long run, it would eventually pay off. But like her sisters had told her, the end never justified the means when Interfering, especially when it was the cost of the lives of spirits.

She looked down at her beloved Aslan who was nuzzling her hand in hopes of getting a response out of her, to wake her from her trance of shame. She laid an affectionate hand on his muzzle and exchanged a long look of understanding with him.

Finally she managed to raise her head and look around at her siblings. Their older brother seemed to have gone off somewhere, probably summoned by an Arch messenger for some divinely business. Her five sisters remained, so the Six Ladies of the Heavens stood in silence, awaiting their Father's return and the final verdict of the youngest among them.

All of her sisters had very handsome faces and figures. Some of them had even been idolized as the ultimate image of perfection in several cultures of the dimensions. All of their complexions ranged from milk white to warm darkness, depending on the current season of their dimensions. And their eyes reflected the most brilliant blend of colors that mortals had yet to give names to the unique shades.

But it was their hair that was the pride and joy of all the ladies present. They all shared the same hue, a combination of gold, white, brown, yellow, and several streaks of red. The trademark of the Ladies and softer than silk, the goddesses' hair was considered the most remarkable substance in existence. Even here, in their home where their radiance was usually diluted, their hair glittered and shined like diamonds in sunshine.

Seanna had hers swept up behind her head and it fell in ringlets like spools of golden thread around her face. Robecca had always considered her to be the most beautiful of all her sisters, and the most kind and intelligent. All of the Arch messengers and seraphim constantly composed songs and tributes to her gracious manner and beauty. Robecca admired her very much, and she was very ashamed to have disappointed her this way.

Her sisters had always claimed she was the most beautiful out of all of them, but she had a feeling they said it because she was the youngest and usually singled-out the most amongst them all. Their Father hadn't even granted her a dimension of her own yet, even though she was well over the age her sisters had been when they received their first dimension to create and govern.

Her Father had used the excuse that she was still not mature enough yet to create life and decide destinies yet. For that reason, Robecca had always studied as hard as she could, for she dearly wanted to be worthy and prepared for the spirits she would give life to.

She had been hoping to use her experience with the Son of Adam to prove that she was ready. If she could manipulate a human, who no one could control, then she surely could take over the management of life for an entire dimension.

But now, she had just proved to everyone, including herself, she was not ready to control the fate of any living creature. She knew she was ignorant of every detail of life management, and now she was more determined than ever to commit herself to more research and studying; she needed to be ready for such incidents and cases as these if she hoped to ever direct life. '_After I finish this penalty,'_ she thought, '_I'm going to throw myself into my studies and finally get this right.'_

She wanted to be a good goddess; she had just gotten ahead of herself and acted impulsively. She wasn't going to quit just because she had made a mistake.

And that thought stopped her train of thought.

_'Maybe I have been involving myself with humans too much lately.'_ A goddess wasn't supposed to make mistakes. Only humans, with their beautiful and careless souls, ever made mistakes.

A snicker from behind her caught her attention and awoke her from her musings.

She turned to find her brother's companion, Tash, perched upon Aslan's back, jeering and threatening him with descriptions her Father's recent punishments.

"You'll be banished to the center of a planet in a mortal body and forced to climb back to the surface, but you will die over and over, suffering the whole time. Your immortality will resurrect you, just long enough to die of pain."

Aslan couldn't quite reach the obnoxious birdman with his paws and Tash was amusing himself dodging the swinging claws.

Robecca had no tolerance today to endure the antics of the overgrown parrot, especially since he was mocking her darling Aslan.

With a spurt of anger, Robecca hurled a bolt of blue lightening at the parrot. Tash jumped out of the way, but Robecca had anticipated his dodge and had adjusted her aim for such a reason. The blue lightening hit the birdman on his rear, causing him to give a raucous yelp and go scampering off for the next room. The feathered coward would probably run right into her busy brother's arms and nurse his wounds.

Aslan shot Robecca a triumphant look. Robecca was pretty proud of herself as well.

She had actually hit the parrot! Usually he just flew around her head, taunting her to take a shot and always flying out of her range the moment she succumbed to his goading.

Her brother claimed Tash kept him balanced, that his obnoxious nature kept him finding humor in life. Otherwise, he would yield to becoming a complete prude. As prim and proper as her brother already was, she guessed she should be grateful to Tash on some level for keeping up his spirits. But no one in the kingdom would disagree that the birdman was just plain annoying and insufferable at times, very unlike her lovable Aslan.

Her Father chose that moment to return. Her brother was beside him, and Tash, the size of a puppy, was perched upon his shoulder. Tash shot a smug sneer at Aslan before turning an innocent and wounded face to her brother. Robecca was pleased to see a couple tail feathers still smoldering on the infuriating parrot.

Robecca then bowed her head respectfully before her Father as her brother took his place at his right side. Her Father did not speak for several moments, but Robecca showed no outward signs of impatience.

She was nervous though, because her Father's punishments usually took the appearance of blessings, but would quickly turn into a dreadful task. The easier it seemed, the more difficult it was. Her Father had a way of working mysteriously like that.

Once, when she was very young (very, very young), she had gone a visit to a dimension and gotten in trouble. Her Father had told her she was going to receive cake and ice cream as a punishment, except he had made her eat and eat until it was painful.

_'It's not going to be a punishment of sweets today.' _she told herself.

"Robecca, my daughter," began her Father. "I have decided your penalty for Interference."

Robecca laid her hand on Aslan's head, because he was trembling, and she wanted to comfort _him_, she told herself. Then her Father told her the most frightening thing she had never expected.

"I am going to give you your own dimension."

**Okay, that's it for tonight. I'm tired.**

**I know it was a lot of descriptions and not enough action, but I needed to explain the situation and set the plot.**

**I promise that more will start happening soon. But there might be a few more chapters with long explanations thrown in.**

**I forgot to mention this was my second fanfic, but my first was a oneshot (kinda) so I don't think it counts.**

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**I'll try to update soon, but this chapter took a lot out of me and I will need to find motivation again.**

But please leave comments. Much love to everyone!


	2. Chapter 2 Conditions

So cool, people actually read this, and reviewed too. Sweet! But **what's a Mary Sue?**

This is the next chapter that I wrote instead of doing my Chem homework. I'm sorry it's a whole of bunch of technical stuff again. I have this theory about the human soul and spirits, how the spirit can be reused in reincarnation, but a soul is unique and individual, so the same person can never exist twice. If that doesn't make sense, I will definitely be explaining more about it in coming chapters.

I had planned to make the main character more spunky, but it's hard when she's supposed to be under pressure and stress. If she seems flakey and too goody-goody, she's not meant to be.

And I know this is really slow to get going. Sorry! But I promise it will get better once I've set up the situation.

**I don't own Aslan or Narnia.**

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The mere thought alone terrified her like nothing else ever had. 

_'__Father can't be serious__!'_

Hadn't she just demonstrated how unprepared she was for the task?

She could not possibly take charge of an entire dimension when she could barely make Tash listen to her. Her anxiety was quickly turning to panic when she thought of being responsible for the welfare of so many.

But another part of her was thrilled. This was exactly what she and Aslan had been dreaming and planning for the longest time. They had often discussed the designs for their own world like a Daughter of Eve plans her dream house. (A/N: lol, I liked that simile, you get the idea.)

They knew almost every detail of the world that had yet to exist.

Drawing inspiration and research from the other dimensions they had visited, they had planned everything: the geography and layout, from mountains to deserts to seas, the many different types of plants and vegetation, and which climate they would have them grow, and even how they would place the star sprites as constellations in the sky.

And most importantly, they had discussed long and hard which creatures they would have.

To create a living creature was a very delicate process, and her brother and sisters had done it so many times they had it down effortlessly, with an artistic touch besides. It required taking a small bit of spirit from the large collection that was the Great Spirit, the large pool of consciousness that connected every living thing to one another. Too much or too little spirit would result in a very depressed or overly-energetic individual. All the physical components were guaranteed through a species' reproduction, but all specific details of giving a spirit life were timed and sensitive to precision. There were so many things that could go wrong.

And she had not had that much practice. Granted, Robecca had managed to create many successful domestic animals for several of sister's dimensions. All of which had turned out to be very sweet and docile, and everyone had praised her work. But to create the mass explosion of life that occurred at the beginning of an existence included so many variables that could throw off the balance of nature.

_'__And the balance!__'_ she thought with dismay. _'I can't make all kind and loving creatures.__' _

For a world to truly thrive for any length of time, there must always be a negative component to cancel out a positive, an evil for every good. Hardships and temptations were the challenge of spirits to choose the morally right. That was how the perception of good versus evil was created, by comprehending the variation of black and white shades. Robecca had never yet created a creature with negative aspects.

Suddenly, all the lessons and education that she had yet to learn seemed more massive and confusing than everything she had already learned so far.

But that wasn't what scared her most.

"Father," she began steadily. "It would be unfair to all the unborn spirits to have to suffer under the direction of an inadequate governess. You would not be so cruel as to wish their destruction after their recent birth."

She knew that's exactly what would happen. Her Father was throwing her into the hot water when she barely knew how to swim. Her entire world would be dead within a year, because she was so ignorant that she would definitely overlook something that would lead to the demise of whatever she had just created.

That included any living peoples or creatures. _'How can I live with myself if I knew I had caused the premature death of so many__?'_

_'I'm not ready for this!'_ she wanted to scream.

Her Father was looking at her with kind eyes, and what looked to be like pride.

How could he be proud of her after what she had just done? Especially when he was expecting her to create life just to be destroyed.

"I know your confidence has been shaken after what has happened, but your talents already equal those of your sisters. You have been inhibited from expanding your abilities due to your lack of solemnity, but always has your heart been in the right place. The capacity for greatness will be satisfied after the necessary repetitive conditioning and practice is fulfilled."

Through her Father's technical exclamation, Robecca felt her heart jump. Even now, after all that had happend, her Father was saying he had faith in her? He still believed she would be a good goddess someday?

"However, not all the responsibilities of management will be granted to you during your trial." Her Father continued.

_'Trial?__ But isn't creating a stable dimension trail enough?'_

As if reading her thoughts (which she had always wondered if he secretly could but never told her), her Father answered, "The punishment itself requires you to spend a mortal life as a Daughter of Eve in your own world. Your goddess powers will be isolated and limited after the dimension's creation, and you must suffer beside your subjects the burdens and pain of mortality for one lifetime."

She should have known. Father never gave away an entire explanation at once. She might even be finding more terms and aspects to this penalty for years to come.

She should try to find out what she could now. "Isolated and limited powers, Father?"

"Your immortal abilities will be confined to a Royal Heart stone. The stone will sustain your mortal body. Without it, only your goddess essence will scarcely hold you to the world, for the extent is one lifetime, and only one lifetime, even it is in a state of comatose."

That even made Aslan's back shiver. A Royal Heart stone was nothing but trouble amongst mortals. It called to the spirits within the living, so alluring that anyone who saw it felt compelled to have it through any means necessary, usually thievery or bloodshed.

_'And they were going to put something as powerful as a goddess' magic within it?'_ If she wanted to keep her powers at all, or even her consciousness, she would have to be constantly fighting off anyone who came close to her.

_'__Well, a mortal life wasn't that long. Maybe 90 years tops?__' _She could last that long.

A mortal life didn't scare her. If the Daughters of Eve could do it, then she would have no problem enduring too.

And if she was a mortal, it would mean her Father would be supervising her world. She would not have to worry about all the particulars, or be aware of every threat, only the spirits who would live there. And she would have Aslan to help her.

_'Uh-oh, I'm thinking it's going to be too easy. Which means it's going to get worse.'_

"One lifetime. You will be confined to that world. As will Aslan, and it will always be ruled by Sons of Adam."

"Sons of Adam?" Robecca blanched. Fear stiffening herself and Aslan, who was trembling violently now.

"You expect me to create human souls?"

Oh no, no, no, NO! Her Father was going too far!

Souls!? They required absorption from previous souls, from ancestors, surrounding souls, and parents. And then they needed to be divided, for an entire soul could not exist in one body, so it was divided between two indiviuals of different genders. And souls couldn't be reused like spirits. Every soul was unique and released after death to the energy of the universe.

"You will not be creating the Sons of Adam." And her Father would say no more on the matter; it would have to be something she learned for herself.

But Robecca almost collapsed in relief.

Poor Aslan actually did, becoming a small kitten that she lifted into her arms. Gently, she cooed to him, trying to revive him.

Aslan wasn't a tame lion; he was used to the wild ways of nature. He understood the animal kingdom, but the worlds of human always were more complicated, where the jungle laws didn't apply. He had just recently begun to trust the erratic human nature for what it was, even if he had yet to understand it.

He would not like being forced into dealing with Sons of Adam, but he would do it, because he loved Robecca. She could only murmur her gratitude and affection to him for his sacrifice.

"It's only one lifetime of a mortal," she whispered to him. They were both going to be learning a lot of new things very quickly and they would have to adjust. She knew that was part of the penalty.

_'So why do I feel like I'm still missing something?'_ Her Father seemed to be stressing that one lifetime sentence significantly.

There was something more her Father wasn't telling her, and he seemed reluctant to say it out loud.

As soon as Aslan quieted to a semblance of calm, she looked back up at her Father, waiting.

Her brother turned to look at their Father too. It seemed he had been kept out of the loop on this one last condition. Her Father and brother decided everything together, so this might be even worse…

She clutched Aslan to her chest in anticipation.

At last her Father announced, "Your world will not be connected to the Time stream."

_'What does that mean?'_ She wondered.

Her brother seemed to know because he stood up quickly and stared at their Father.

"Never has such a thing been done before. The consequences are unfathomable. It could ruin the entire duration of the world's existence, not to mention the lives of the Sons of Adam you intend to send there. The age of the living will be inconsistent and unpredictable, fluctuating every moment. The fatality of many-"

Her brother was silenced with a single look from Father, but he still looked horrified and like he wanted to protest.

Robecca now understood her brother's distress, but still, she trusted her Father to make sure the living spirits would be protected. He wouldn't deliberatly send living spirits to their death, that was evident in the reason why he wasn't giving her full control of her world.

Her Father always did have an imagination and was always trying out different ideas for creation in new worlds. It seemed he wanted to experiment without the burden of time.

_'So my world won't be part of the Time stream. And the Sons of Adam will be protected by Father, once he lets them in.'_

She didn't care if her Father wanted to implant Sons of Adam into her world. She had also planned to have them in her own world someday, once she understood the process of creating souls. This might be another way her Father was undermining her authority in her own world, but Sons of Adam were so fascinating and special, she couldn't find reason to dislike the idea.

And she would be living as a Daughter of Eve. She could intermingle with them, study their habits and thought processes more, and maybe-

But a sudden thought occurred to her.

_'One lifetime,' _Father had said. _'One lifetime of a mortal.'_

But she would be living outside the Time stream. So,… she would be growing up in the erratic time line her brother had hinted at?

_'__But still__… What does that mean?!__'_

_'Now I remember why I don't like listening to Father's lectures.' _It was so frustrating. He wasn't explaining anything, just making her more confused.

"Faith," Aslan whispered up to her, feeling the tension in her body.

She looked down at her dearest friend. He had lifted his head from where he had buried it in her bosom, finally managing to overcome his terror, and she could hardly do any less. She couldn't be frustrated just because she was scared of not knowing every detail.

She had to trust her Father. He always knew what to do, and it was always fair and beneficial in the end. She had to have faith that her Father knew what he was doing.

Her eyes lifted to him once more. Would there be any other conditions to her punishment?

There didn't seem so. He was sending her brother and sisters out of the room, leaving the three of them alone. Robecca put down Aslan, who regained his full height and walked off to the shadows of the room where her sisters had been watching.

Her Father then held out his arms to her. Robecca didn't hesitate to rush into his embrace. His warm arms gently holding her close and cradling her in love, Robecca savored the moment, letting go of all the stress and fear the situation had caused. Tears leaked out her eyes, tears she had been holding in while her siblings looked on.

Right now, in her Father's arms, she didn't have to be brave, or even responsible, she could just be her Father's daughter. He took away all the pain and always made everything better. This feeling would have to last her maybe a few millennia while she was apart from him. She did truly love her Father, though it was hard for anyone not to, and she would miss him.

After a few moments, she pulled back and looked at her Father, her eyes drying up and her lovely smile back on her glowing face.

Her Father loved her, and he believed in her. She could do anything.

Her Father smiled back at her new found determination. "When do I leave, Father?"

**I can't tell if that's as long as the first chapter was. oh well.**

**I'm hoping to move into the creation of Narnia scene in the next chapter.**

**I hope a few people at least are liking it.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Royal Heart

Well, I still didn't do my Chemistry. I kept writing instead. This chapter is short, but I wanted to get this explanation out of the way because it's complicated.

I got up to the point of the creation scene, so that's where the next chapter will take up.

And after naming her sisters, I think I've decided I'm going to combine all religions into a new hybrid, so I apoligize if anyone is offended by the religious references. And for everyone who hates the DiVinci Code, heads up! That will be another alllusion (now who remembers literature class and knows what an allusion is? lol, ;-)

And thank you to apples.green for answering my question about Mary Sue's (btw, and you speak/write English perfectly). I'll try to make Robecca as _human_ as possible (haha, it's a pun!), but she is a goddess who is aspiring to the perfection of her older sisters (I'm sure all us younger siblings can relate to that.) she might appear flawless at times.

I guess this fanfic is also about making Aslan more earthly and less godly. This is his background and history: where he came from, who he answers to, why he isn't there to help the characters through every challenge. I'm attempting to answer all the questions you ask yourself while reading the books but you have to write off as the mysterious workings of the unknown.

Well, I'll stop talking now. Please leave reviews if nothing is making sense.

Again: **I don't own Narnia.**

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Father lightly kissed her forehead. "Say good-bye. Then Lucante will bring the Royal Heart that will take you away."

She gave her Father one final hug, then she left him, Aslan trotting along behind her. She found her brother and sisters waiting just outside the room.

Seanna did not hesitate to approach and embrace her. Tears hovered on the corners of her eyes as she kissed her sister's cheeks.

"If only you could be spared the emotional pain of the Daughters of Eve, my lovely," she said as she held Robecca close.

"What emotional pain?"

Seanna's blue eyes, the same deep rich color as Robecca's, looked sympathetic and sad.

"You still don't understand the depth of the trial, do you?" When all she got for an answer was a puzzled look, she continued.

"Even though you will live beside them, you will not live on the same time interval as your creations. You will watch them grow, share their dreams and failures, and come to love them. Then every one of them will die, and you will remain, generation after generation. And it will break your heart over and over." Seanna shook her head sadly.

"By the time she returns, she'll be a bitter old woman," cackled Tash, only to be hushed uncharacteristically by her brother.

"Then I just won't love them," Robecca claimed.

Armede then stepped forward, her rouge eyes were understanding, but also patronizing. "Your heart is too kind and endearing. Every one of them will love you unconditionally, and there is nothing you could do to make them feel any different. There will be no way you could resist their adoration. You will fall hard for them all."

"Giving voice to an opinion doesn't make it fact, Armede," Robecca snapped. She would not be spoken down to, especially since she would be leaving soon.

"Perhaps you're right," Armede said softly, catching Robecca off-guard with her quick submission. Usually she would have an argument on her hands.

Armede reached out and hugged her, softly pressing her lips into her little sister's curls. But as she stepped back, she said in a triumphant voice "But only time will tell."

Her other sisters, Atine, Hysis, and Veodie, came forward to hug her and wish her luck.

Then her brother stepped forward. It seemed Tash had flown off because he was not perched on his shoulder as usual. Her brother set his hands on her shoulders and they both looked at each other for a while.

_'He needs another shave,_' Robecca thought. _'His beard is getting long again.' _She hoped he would remember to take care of himself, even while he was so busy taking care of everyone else.

"Armede and Seanna are right, the trials of human emotions will be hard, but they cannot be helped. Mortal love has more depth than you could ever know. Every day together is more precious to mortals, because at any instant it can all be taken away."

She wondered if he was speaking from his own experience as a mortal. She was reminded of the rumors the Arch messengers used to whisper: her brother had been in love with a Daughter of Eve, but he had had to give her up when he came home.

"You will learn this painful lesson soon enough. However, emotions enrich a spirit like nothing else, and you will be much stronger after this ordeal." He then pulled her close for a hug and whispered, "That's one thing that will make you unique from your sisters."

When he released her, he was smiling. "Take care of my Sons of Adams."

Then he waggled his eyebrows at her, a gesture that was seldom seen on his face. "Especially _him_."

"Who?" she asked, but Lucante came trotting down the hall at that moment.

The silver wolf goddess was much, much older than either Aslan or Tash. She had been revered in many worlds and cultures more frequently than her sisters had. Her silver coat was not really silver when you looked at it directly, but every shimmering rainbow color, and her eyes were as glitter golden as the goddesses' hair.

Around her neck hung a glowing, ruby red pendant. The Royal Heart.

Her brother turned and lifted the pendant from Lucante's neck. Lucante turned her lovely eyes on Aslan, who was hovering behind Robecca. "Come with me a moment, young one," her ancient voice was almost a purr and she led Aslan to an alcove down the hall.

Robecca watched him go with a moment's panic. "He is accompanying you, don't distress," said her brother. "There are just things you must hear separately."

Robecca turned her gaze back to her brother. He was holding up the large vermillion pendant. It was indeed in the shape of a heart. Small diamonds outlined the shape and formed a chain of interconnecting diamonds at the heart's top apex.

The necklace was very lovely. The red stone seemed to be made of liquid blood. She could tell it was humming with an ancient magic, and it seemed to radiate potential power.

"It's huge," she remarked.

_'And quite heavy,'_ she suspected. _'How am I supposed to hide that from mortal eyes?'_

"Father fashioned this especially for you. Never has one been made so immense, but it was necessary in order to contain all your powers as a goddess. Once it does, you will be able to adjust it to any size and wear it however you want. It will be difficult to conceal, since it thrives when exposed, so you can't cover it up."

He ran his thumb over the shimmering stone, memorized by the inner shine. "As suspected, you will constantly be protecting it from mortals, who will not be able to help themselves when they lay eyes upon it. Those with a strong will can learn to resist the luster over time, but its affects are always unpredictable. If you do lose it, your body will only last for several days before it collapses, but it will revive you once someone returns it."

He then looked up into Robecca's eyes. "You won't be able to travel between worlds, or have any influence over them at all. You already know you can't control the Sons of Adam. Otherwise, you will have most of your magic when you have this, with one exception."

"When you leave, Father will have your powers incredibly increased so you may bring creation to the dimension. The countdown of a mortal lifetime doesn't begin until you let go of those powers, then you won't have them back until the sentence is finished."

"How long do I have to finish designing the world?" Her brother smiled at her question. "Seven days." _'Oh, of course, but...'_

"Seven days of my world, or of the days of the Time stream?"

"The Time stream's. The time of your world... well, it will never be a reliable measurement."

_'In other words, my world doesn't matter.'_ She felt like they were putting her into a glass ball, completely isolated and cut off so the poisons within could never leak out and contaminate the surrounding _real_ worlds. But it was fine that they could add anything they wanted to it. It was going to be a mockery of what a world was supposed to be, a controlled experiment where she had the smallest say over what happened.

_'Well, it is your prison after all.'_ She didn't deserve the control of it, but it was going to be hard to surrender the goddess's influence that she had known her whole life.

Her brother lifted the necklace and fastened the diamond chain around her neck. Robecca lifted the pendant off her chest and ran hand over it. She felt herself getting weaker. The stone was slowly pulling away her powers from her, glowing with an inner white light.

"Robecca," her brother said again and she managed to drag her eyes away from the magical necklace. "Father has a plan. One that will make you curse him at times, but you will also thank him in the end for the greatest treasure that you could never have imagined."

She cocked her head at him and gave him one of her dazzeling smiles. "You mean the benefit of loving my people."

It wasn't that hard to see through her brother's riddles. "You still haven't managed to mystify your speech the way Father does."

He looked stunned for a moment, then he chuckled. "I'll have to work on that while you're gone. I was referring to love, but not…" he stopped and hesitated. She could tell he had decided not to tell her the hint he wanted to give to her, afraid she might see through his next attempt at being vague again.

Instead he called Lucante and Aslan back over. Lucante crossed to her usual place beside Armede. Aslan jumped into her arms, the size of a kitten again, and snuggled close to her.

A pleasant feeling washed over Robecca and she had to struggle to listen to her brother's final words.

"Give the young Son of Adam the fruit of a Solace Tree. It is very important you do so. The king of your world is already there, waiting to take his new place."

_'My king,'_ Robecca thought as the drain of her powers made her dizzy. She clutched Aslan close, pressing him against the Royal Heart.

"The First King of Narnia."

The colors swirled before her, and she felt them leaving her home, on their way to a new world.

**I don't know when I will update.**

**Maybe if I get enough reviews so I know I'm not just writing a ridiculous story.**

**For now, I really need to get chemistry done.**


	4. Chapter 4 The Beginning

**Well, guess what. Still no Chem homework done! Who needs it anyway?**

**I guess I'm going to have to ask for the followers of scientism (Is that what it's called?) to not take offense to this story either, because I was able to incorporate that too. What can I say? I'm in the middle of science homework when I work on this.**

**I think I'm going to have to go check out the Magician's Nephew to write the next couple chapters because I can't remember the story too well. I might be a while before I update again because I never get to the library. I'll try not to go over every detail because I don't think anybody just wants to read the same story again. Narnia's credit goes to C. S. Lewis only.**

**So I hope everyone is enjoying the story!**

**Please leave reviews, I love them.**

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_'Grass'_ she thought, using her powers to pull spirit energy from the Great Spirit so the grass could live. It sprung up from the dirt she'd brought into existence an instant before. 

The moment she felt its softness under her feet, she fell to her knees, letting go of Aslan who also collapsed in the small patch of grass. They had never travelled via her brother's sending powers, and it had left them both gasping for breath and trying to regain their senses.

"I prefer it when you transport us," Aslan grumbled, shaking his mane and returning to his usual size as he got back on his feet.

Robecca remained on her knees, staring down at the grass beneath her hands. She could just make it out by the illumination of red light glowing from the Royal Heart suspended above it.

_'The first life in my world.'_ She touched it reverently.

In awe, she realized she could create anything she wanted. She could give spirit life to any animal, vegetable, or mineral she chose (with the exception of humans). Never before had she been allowed such liberty. She always had to ask permission first before stretching her magic at all. But now, there was no one who would tell her 'no.'

She looked up and around her. The only light came from the glowing red stone around her neck and she could barely make out Aslan's figure. Otherwise, nothing but a very dim blackness, like a dark predawn, and there was absolutely nothing else but the grass she had just made.

And nothing had ever seemed more beautiful to her.

It was a blank page, a white canvas, and it was all hers to paint anything on it. She would establish and decide the existence of everything.

"Our own world," she whispered in wonder.

Her eyes met Aslan's, unspoken words of amazement flowing between them. After all the plans, all the dreams, all the _waiting_, they at last had a dimension of their own.

She could barely wait to begin. The power was tingling in her fingertips and running along her arms. She scrambled so quickly to her feet she almost fell over again. Aslan moved forward to steady her and she put a supporting hand on his back.

"My Lady, you're weak," he remarked.

"It's Father's power. It wants to explode out of my body." Most of her magic had already been absorbed into the Royal Heart, and her Father's power was much more potent than what she was used to.

She dropped to her knees again; maybe she wouldn't have to stand for this part anyway.

"What first?" she asked Aslan, she was having a hard time thinking when she was concentrating on holding herself together.

"The space, Robecca. The land, sea, and sky."

Robecca nodded, then closed her eyes and focused on the energy within her, twisting and molding it into what form she wanted it to take.

_'Sky...'_

The energy exploded out of her and brought it into existance. The vast area of the sky, thousands of miles of air, a layer of sky pigment, the space to hold the beings of cosmos, and the encompassing expanse sprang into being. Tiny particles attracted one another and became the substance of air. All of it pulled forcibly at the energy in her body. She was only too happy to be rid of it.

Afterward, the eruption left her weak again. She fell forward once more onto shaky hands, only to feel the immense power ramping up inside her again.

She looked up into the sky that she had just created. It was the largest and most significant thing she had ever made, and it was absolutely perfect. Already she could see several star sprites beginning to find their way in and trying to find a comfortable spot in the heavens.

It had been exhausting to make, she was stinging a little from it, but it had also been… so easy! She wondered why she had always worried over doing this before.

"Now the land, my Lady." Aslan sounded excited after seeing the new sky. "The northern mountains and western desert. Remember that the rainforests will need black soil."

Robecca shut her eyes again and thought of all the designs for the geography of the world. This time when she imagined them, the images took her energy and flew away to become real. Her thoughts and plans exploded out of her and gushed out like a tidal wave.

All over the world, molecules and matter leapt into existence. They bound together to become the substance of land: red dirt, black dirt, sand, rock, gold, diamond, and other minerals. Most were buried on top of each other, and some kept piling up into a solid formation, accumulating to hills and mountains and even underwater trenches.

_'The sea,'_ she thought, and more than half of the world began to fill with salt water. The currents were already beginning their churning around the underwater rocks.

"The islands, My Lady," Aslan reminded her, and they were there in the next instant.

_'Clouds,'_ she thought, and the water droplets began condensing in the sky.

_'Rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, mountain snow, well water, reservoirs, waterfalls…__'_

As so it was.

Everywhere the land rolled up from the smallest patches, building its way above the level of the sea, and arranging itself the way the goddess was dictating.

For a moment, she broke her concentration and looked at Aslan, the joy of creation setting her face aglow.

"The plants, Aslan!" she exclaimed. "They want to grow. Everything wants to grow!" She was laughing in glee.

"Sing, my Aslan. Sing them into existence. The spirits are already here for them to use. Bring them to the life!" He felt her exhilaration, shared it, and he obeyed with delight.

And she lifted her head and smiled at her sky.

Such beauty had never yet been seen in that realm.

The star sprites were immediately drawn to her smile. They came closer to the ground to see her, all wanting to bathe in the light of beauty and goodness that radiated from the young goddess when she smiled. Her happiness and jubilation was expelled and shared by them. They shined brighter than they ever had before, more lustrous than any stars anywhere else. They were singing in their pleasure. And they were happy and content to remain exactly where they were, in the spot they had been when they first saw the beautiful, gleaming smile of their goddess.

Star sprites were like the Arch messengers who served her Father and brother. Except, unlike the Arch messengers, star sprites didn't mingle with the peoples of the dimensions, and they couldn't always be commanded or controlled. Her Father gave them life when the Great Spirit was so enriched with an accumulation of emotions and knowledge that it threatened to burst. They spent eternity hopping between old and new worlds, thriving on the hopes, goals, and dreams of mortals.

Several star sprites called to her from their new place in the young sky, asking her for the honor of alighting her world with their glow and warmth. Robecca heard them, and looked to the one she sensed would be strong, yet gentle when invited close to her world.

_"__Your name?__"_ she asked him.

_"__Marcusolani__ And I swear to you my loyalty and shine for the rest of this world's existence." _

"Then leave your brothers and sisters, Marcusolani. And take your place on the horizon. Your debut is approaching."

The star sprite thanked her and left his position in the sky for his new seat of honor, circling the horizon and giving his strength for all to grow. His blaze began to light the new world as he embarked on his very first journey across the infant sky.

Robecca fell back into her trance. She could hear Aslan singing somewhere beyond her, bringing up shoots and stalks from the dirt, and shooting roots into the ground.

As Aslan was singing the flowers and trees into being, she was manipulating the spirit energy into their bodies. Her timing was perfect, somehow much more improved than it had ever been. Bits of green and brown sprouted and then bounded upward, reaching for the lightening sky. They flourished like nothing she had ever created, thanking her for their existence before focusing on growing.

Then there was something that thanked her for its life that did not sound like a plant at all. It was warm and gentle, but sounded more hard and metallic than the others around it.

She wondered at that as she continued to give away new life. She started to come out of her trance. Now that almost half of the power within her had already been released, she was able to maintain her concentration a little more and think again.

At that moment, Marcusolani made his debut. Peaking over the horizon and then shining brilliantly when he saw Robecca's welcoming smile. He would always shine more brightly when he saw her smile, more lovely than any blessing or bliss than anything previously experienced.

Robecca was still weaving life into the new beings sprouting around her, but she could sense something else nearby. There were spirits here that she had not put here, but there was more to it than that. A burning of memories and longing, there were spirits calling to her, wanting to leave the confines of a body.

Spirits wanted to get out, but something else was holding them in.

It took her a moment to understand, but at last she did.

_'Souls!__ There are humans here!'_ And she had not put them here. _'Then why are __there people in my world__?'_

Without the weight of her Father's power obstructing her mind, there was a little more clarity. She remembered her brother saying that the First King would be waiting for her in her world.

Her Father and brother had brought the humans here. This relieved her a little, but there was something besides humans here.

It was a void of some sort near the souls. Something dark was with the humans. A vacuum. Where a soul was supposed to exist, there wasn't one. It was as if it had been removed.

_'Oh no! __A soulless one?!'_

She had heard of such creatures. Humans with their own magic who had managed to eradicate their souls and fill its place with power instead. Anyone insane to do such a desperate and foolish thing had to be driven by evil and greed of the worst kind.

There was a sharp and painful prick in her heart. When she had just managed to create such a paradise, she now had to deal with the threat of a soulless one.

Shakily she got to her feet, slightly weak from working so hard. Moving through the trees of the new forest, she followed the path Aslan had taken, approaching the place where the empty void seemed to be coming from.

But then, she felt it approaching her. And very quickly!

Out of the trees burst a very tall Daughter of Eve.

_'No. Not a Daughter of Eve. This one has given up that name.'_ And even worse, Robecca recognized the witch before her.

"Jadis!?" She exclaimed in shock.

The witch glared at her with the deepest of anger. There was an aura of darkness around her, completely in contrast with the pure light of the growing surroundings, which was making the witch very irritable. She didn't know Robecca, but she could sense the power within her rivaled her own, maybe more, and that made her hate the girl on sight.

"You and your kind have destroyed your own world at last, I assume. And now you plan to take this one next?"

Robecca had heard her brother and Father discussing for a long time the desperation of the dimension. The entire realm had been taken over by only a handful of people, and their selfish ambitions had poisoned the entire planet and those surrounding it. They had interfered with the natural order and balance, trying to mimic her Father's own actions and powers. And in only a few short centuries, the realm had been reduced to a wasteland.

The Arch messengers had told her that it had been finally decided the world was beyond redemption, there was nothing there worth salvaging, and it had been left to obliterate itself.

It must have finally happened. One world demolished so this one, her own, could exist. _'Well, this world will be so much better than that one.'_

"Who are you?" demanded the witch.

Robecca didn't answer, this creature before her didn't deserve one. Instead she reached for her magic to conjure up a lightening bolt. She was going to smite down this witch before she had a chance to corrupt Narnia.

But the moment the harmful intention had formed in Robecca's mind, the trees and grass around her began to die. The new life withered and browned, responding to the vicious intention of their mother. Everything began crummbling as the destructive energy that would grant death gathered around her.

Robecca quickly aborted her plan, dispersing the malice energy and quickly recapturing the departing spirits of the plants that had died. Aslan's song, still auditable in the background, at once began to bring up new sprouts, and Robecca wove the spirits back into them.

All this she did in a matter of seconds, without even breaking eye contact with Jadis, though the witch saw everything.

_'I can't kill her while the world is still being born. The death energy will overcome the life energy.'_ She would have to wait until the seven days of creation were over, then she would track down this witch and dispose of her properly.

"I am the Lady Robecca," she finally answered. "And I will tell you now, Jadis. My world will never belong to one as corrupted and mutilated as you."

The goddess's eyes were flashing with enough angry fire to make any mortal cower, but Jadis took off through the forest again, moving faster than was humanly possible.

When she sensed the witch was far enough away, the goddess' shoulders slumped. Robecca felt betrayed. Her Father had let that witch be saved from annihilation and brought to her young world. Had he let one world go only so she could make another one that would be destroyed the same way? Did he really have any faith in her at all?

That witch might already be stronger than she presently was, and in a world that was saturated with growth energy, the witch's powers would only increase. Was part of her punishment to find the hatred and strength to destroy Jadis once and for all?

Evil. Greed. Hate. Anger. Malice. Vice.

She didn't have to create them, they had all been awaiting her here. And now their poisons would seep into any darling creatures she hoped to bring to life.

Her utopia was already stained with the witch's presence. It had never had a chance to thrive in peace.

_'Well,'_ she thought bitterly, _'at least I won't have to concern __myself with creating a balance.'_


	5. Chapter 5 The First King

**Okay, what's my excuse for not writing this next chapter sooner? ... Nothing!**

**I knew there would be a surge of interest in the Narnia fics as soon as the Caspian movie came out, and I had all these reviewers begging me for the next chapter, but I was so involved in my other fic. And then there was life to deal with, like my freshman year of college, finding an internship to put on a resume, and trying to get to practice so I don't develop that freshman fifteen. It took me a long time to even begin daydreaming and getting enthusiastic to write this one again.**

**I finally got the Magician's Nephew and the first half of this chapter is a summary of it. I was NOT going to copy it word for word even though I could do every line of dialogue, but I figure if you want to read that book, you wouldn't be wanting to read a fanfic that is supposed to modify it. And it was very painful to write cause I just wanted to get back to my original stuff.**

**I forgot to mention that Aslan and Robecca speak to each other differently than a physical voice. Kinda like telepaphy, but more like a communication of emotions.**

**And to clear up a few questions from the reviews. Lucante, Aslan, and Tash are more like demi-gods. If you have ever studied Budhism, they would be the jealous gods, not quite all-knowing and all powerful, but more connected to the spirit of the Earth and the animals. They are also companions/pets of Robecca and her siblings.**

**And the gods, demi and full, do not posess souls or spirits; they are only an essence. Spirits are mortal lives and souls are the individuality of humans, but that is actually a very compacted definition as I'm sure you have figured out. Gods simply exist and are a force outside of the nature.**

**Hmm, I'm quite sure there was more stuff I wanted to mention, but I can't think of it right now. Please review if this chapter doesn't make sense because it was seriously hard to write. I feel like I completely lost my talent for writing in this chappie. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Narnia. If I did, then I would be wearing a Royal Heart Stone. heehee ;)**

**P.S. Long chapter! (oh, I hope I haven't lost all my readers by this lateness!)**

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Aslan watched his Mistress step out of the new wood and into the clearing he had stopped in. Her shoulders were straight and her stride was confident. Anyone looking on (and Aslan knew the few humans he had seen were watching from the bushes) would never suspect the deep sense of betrayal that had broken her heart.

But he could see the disappointment in the depths of the cerulean eyes she lifted to him.

He felt the same misery weighing him down. Their beautiful world, the hundreds of plants and star sprites they had just brought under their protection, and the wild creatures he was already beginning to sing into being… all of them, now were in peril of the clever, horrifying, and dreadful souless one know as Jadis.

A tear slipped down Aslan's magnificent face as his head dropped in anguish.

Robecca stepped forward and caught the single tear, then her hand rested on his forehead, on the very spot the witch had struck with the metal rod. Alsan felt the instant healing from Robecca's touch. The hit hadn't really hurt, but it had been an effort for him to appear unaffected by the blow.

His lady's hand demanded healing, and the golden feeling spread through him, lifting his spirits and his gaze back to hers.

"_Do not despair, my darling Aslan. It was bound to happen in time,"_ she said in the divine way they communicated with their emotions.

She bravely smiled for him, the brightness of it giving him her strength to endure and withhold tears for a situation that couldn't be helped.

"_Today is not a day for tears, love; it is indeed a happy one. It is the birth of our Narnia. Be joyous, Aslan."_

He saw the wisdom in her words. The witch was not going to spoil this moment. They would both shed tears for this misfortune eventually, but not now. There was still much to be done.

He looked up at her, his eyes bright again, and awaited his next task.

"_You already know it, my darling. Have you not already begun to create our animals?"_ she giggled, turning her glittering smile to their surroundings.

All around them, in wombs of earth rising from the new enriching soil, Aslan was already forming the new wild creatures. She began to weave the life force of spirits into the bodies taking shape beneath the earth, a lot more for these than the plants, but she took to the difficult task with a vengeance, determined to make these children the sweetest and most adorable animals that ever existed.

From the rolling bubbles sprung their animals of all shapes and sizes.

Aslan stopped his song and looked around at their lovely creations, making the familiar raucous noise he was used to in the jungles.

Tears began to gather in his eyes again, only this time it was from overwhelming pride. Innocent, undeceptive, and instinctively correct, these creatures flowed with the balance and order of nature. They did not seize it with a manipulative grip, or try to bend it to their will, they only existed along side Nature and flowed with _her_ will.

This is what he preferred, the animal kingdom to the worlds of humans. Everything was honestly uncomplicated among these creatures. No good or evil. No shades of grey that made one both right and wrong at the same time. No prejudice nor grudges. No pre-meditated, senseless murder. Things just were as they were and as they should be.

"_But this is to be a world of humans, isn't it Robecca?"_ he asked her disheartened. _"And they will be treated as dumb brutes like the other worlds as soon as the Sons of Adam are established."_

Robecca could feel his sadness coming off him in waves as he looked around at all the noisy animals.

He had always felt the pains of the forced labor his fellow beasts were forced to endure in several worlds. She had tried to explain the symbiotic relationship between humans and animals, but he had seen too many demonstrations of the horrors a Son of Adam could inflict on an animal he called his _possession_.

For her Aslan, who needed a new hope in this world, she would give him a gift. She would not let the doom of Jadis' presence and their uncanny introduction add to his burdens.

"_Bring me two of each beast that has ever been abused."_

Aslan looked up at her curiously, wondering whatever she could be planning, and hoping to talk her out of it before she did something truly drastic. But she had already turned and moved away from him, walking away from the large assembly of fauna.

Aslan couldn't help but obey her request, his curiosity of what she had in mind overruling his concern. He wandered among the new creatures, finding the strongest and bravest of the animals before him. He transfixed them into following him with a simple touch of his nose.

Robecca gazed upon the river in front of her. Her eyes were serene, but inside, she was preparing herself, gathering her energy for this one last push of creation. She wove more and more spirit into the trees and waters around her, and then even more into creatures she was creating from within her own mind out of pure magic.

This world _was_ going to better than Charn.

She would make it the utopia that mortals had known only in the times her brother and sisters had inhabited the worlds. Long ago, before the law of Interference, when her siblings had wandered the realms and mingled with the mortals, dealing out justice to people whenever they came upon the need. Never had there been such an era of peace when the people had to fear the gods' wrath for misbehaving.

She poured more and more spirit into her surroundings: the trees, the earth, the river, giving them life that would make them equal to human souls.

Behind her, Aslan approached with his followers. The animals circled around the pair, their eyes still empty with Aslan's spell upon them.

Robecca could feel the empty consciousness in their minds. They survived purely on instinct without pre-meditative thought, which meant their wild spirits could be broken when enough force was applied.

She had to protect them, from Jadis, from temptation, from ignorance, and especially the cruetly of humans.

She would give them a fighting chance over the Sons of Adams meant to rule her world. And in the process, maybe take back a little of the control her Father had denied her. If they could be understood and seen as equals, then the Sons of Adams would accept them among their society and not treated as the customary slaves.

Robecca could not give them souls. Even if she wanted to, she had no idea how to go about it without fearing the risk of killing anyone, but maybe she could give them something better.

The only problem was that it would probably be even more dangerous than a pre-mature goddess attempting to create souls.

She took a deep breath and pushed aside her fear of the consequences.

It took a lot of spirit energy to hold the magic and her power under control as she undertook the unthinkable task. She concentrated hard on the essence within herself, feeling the power of her goddess energy and the overwhelming force that could destroy any mortal who tried to possess it.

_'Maybe not all at once, but perhaps just the smallest bit.'_

If she could divide up a grain a sand into a million pieces.

Taking a fragment of her own goddess being, she split it apart and tried to weave it like spirit energy, sharing it with those gathered around her.

It was unprecedented, and extremely precarious, but she took the risk anyway. Giving away a part of herself to her and Aslan's creations. The most valuable thing a goddess possessed, herself, and she gave it away. She comforted herself of this self-mutilation with the knowledge that it would still last forever, passing down in the progeny for the rest of existence.

Once more, the magic exploded out of her in a flashfire of intelligence and emotions.

"Awake Narnia!" she whispered in exhaustion, but there was not a life there that did not hear her words as if she had said them directly into every ear.

Aslan stared on in astonishment and horror, seeing his Mistress give up her very essence for the young beings around them.

And not only to the animals!

From the trees and river came nymphs, dryads, gods, centaurs, satyrs, dwarves, fairies, tree spirits, and fawns that had only been found in the old days of other realms. She had given enough of her own essence to the forest so that nature itself could create its own guardians.

She had guaranteed that the Sons of Adam would not be the only dominant force in this world.

Aslan regarded her with wonder. She had sacrificed herself for these creations, and she had done it for him. He felt truly humbled by her gift.

"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake!" he roared in joy. "Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees and talking beasts and divine waters."

They responded with the same feeling of joy that comes from enlightenment and the awakening from a wonderful dream that turns out to be real.

Aslan could sense Robecca's weariness and addressed the young creatures for the both of them. She had given away a piece of herself, but the gift to the creatures had been more noble than any he had ever known. He spoke for her, letting her have a well-deserved rest while he established a council of order.

He attended to the creatures assembled around them, comforting them and explaining to them the wondrous gifts this world and their intelligence were to them while Robecca knelt in the grass.

"Mistress Robecca has given you all a part of divinity. It sets you apart from other peoples of your race and kind. Treasure always the illicit and unparalleled mentality you have been granted."

"Aye, Aslan! Thank you, milady!" chorused the merry creatures, whopping and frolicking around.

Moving to support her side, Aslan allowed Robecca to lean against him as he tended to just matters. Then he carried her away and let her rest upon the soft ground while he held his council around her.

Robecca felt the repercussions of the incredible procedure she had just put herself through. If it hadn't been for the strength of her Father's magic still flowing within her, it was doubtful she would have survived it. But she had, and she had accomplished an undeniably astonishing feat.

She couldn't help but wonder how her brother and sisters would have reacted if they knew she had shared her essence with mere mortals.

'_Two rules broken in less than two days, they would see me as an unfathomable hellion,'_ she thought to herself.

Her weakness began to fade and she was able to sit up straight. Even though she still lacked the strength to lift her head, she was able to listen to what was being said within the council Aslan had selected. He was better at talking to animals anyway, he understood them in ways she knew she never would.

Then the boy approached.

She listened as Aslan spoke to him, understanding what must have happened in Jadis' kingdom, and feeling the weight of the grave situation settling around her again.

As the conversation with the boy progressed, she could feel Aslan's growing disgust with the Son of Adam. Robecca knew the boy's weakness for yielding to temptation stemmed from his human soul. His curiosity had made him ring the bell that brought Jadis back to life when all common sense and intuition would have prevented any other creature from the same mistake.

However, Aslan didn't understand this trait of humans, no matter how much he wanted and tried to comprehend. She wasn't going to let him continue his uncomfortable conversation with the Son of Adam, it was too awkward for them both.

"That will do, Aslan," she said aloud, surprising everyone who thought she had been in a delirious stupor.

Aslan walked behind her, at a loss of how to deal with the Son of Adam or the other two approaching their circle. Animals were his specialty, she would know how to handle the humans. He gladly relinquished this control to her.

Her eyes rose from her lowered gaze and pierced the gaze of the humbled boy who had only managed to look up for a moment. But in that gaze, she saw all she needed. A boy misled on a path of conceit, but not too far strayed that he could yet be saved. There was still something she could do for this child before he was lost to malice and arrogance.

Digory

He didn't dare to hold the stare of the lady.

Digory had felt so sure that the Lion and the Lady would be able to help him, but he had not counted on being accused of the empress's presence as his own fault. But not only that, communicating with the Aslan and Lady Robecca was extremely difficult and intimidating when they both seemed to… _shine_ so intensely.

Aslan seemed to emit the warmth and life of the sun itself, radiating the energy that became the wild liveliness that made one want to run and whoop and cry out in joy.

But the Lady Robecca was _all_ of the summer and the bounty of the earth: the sun, growth, long days, warm nights, fresh produce and tasteful wind all rolled into one.

His human eyes saw her as ultimate beauty man had yet to imagine. Her hair was the purest golden and ivory that he had ever seen. It shimmered like the dancing rays of the sunset on the sea. And her eyes, the deepest of blues, vibrantly emphasized her expression that he feared they may jump out of her head, but it didn't make them any less gloriously beautiful.

She seemed to be human enough, but in her presence, he felt like a petulant child who only wanted to please his mother. For if mother was happy, then he could feel the joy in her and it would make him content like nothing else in his life could ever do so again.

His eyes alighted on a glowing pendant around her neck, and suddenly his eyes could not be peeled away. It couldn't be just a ruby like he first suspected at first glance, it had to be magic the way it was singing to him. He could almost hear the stone calling his name, and he stood transfixed, every particle of his body wanting to have that stone in his hands.

But then Digory remembered the spell he had thought the little bell in Charn had cast on him. When he had surrendered to that desire, he had awoken the witch, and that lesson was still stinging him as badly as the tongue-lashing he had just received from Aslan.

He wanted to please this lady; he wanted to make her smile and make the sun shine bright again. There was no way he was going to take her pretty necklace from her and make her sad.

He watched her as her head turned towards the cabby and Polly. The gorgeous smile graced her lips again as she laid eyes upon them. Up close, it was even more brilliant than he could have ever imagined.

It was a smile that made even the diamonds in his mother's jewelry box seem like dull and cheep glass. Her face had to be sparkling, but he could never say for sure, because the smile seemed to have a magical all of its own.

The colors around him suddenly seemed to grow brighter, the sky was bluer, the sun shined even more brilliant that it had a moment before. The world seemed to be trying to match the dazzle that rippled from the Lady Robecca in glimmering starlight, all because of her smile.

It was the smile of a goddess, and it captivated the soul of the Son of Adam, calling to him on a primitive level that would never let him see the glory of the world again without the utmost veneration. Whatever this lady would ask of him, he would try with all his heart to give it to her.

Robecca

Her thoughts were interrupted as she was distracted by a brightness drawing closer.

It was a light only she could see. Aslan could sense it, but not even he could begin to glimpse the fire that emitted from the older Son of Adam that drew near with the young Daughter of Eve.

The man's soul shone fiercely, glowing and thriving in Narnia's growth energy. Underneath all those layers of social conformity and back-breaking labor, there was such a quantity and quality of living spirit filling his body that it was a wonder he didn't combust. This dullness was dispersing with ever breath of fresh air of the new world. Soon the man would be as pure as he had been in his childhood home.

She couldn't help but smile in pleasure, which radiance captured the growth energy around her and brought up even more flowers.

It was obvious this Son of Adam could only be one person, a gift from her brother, and a small consolation to the nasty surprise that had been Jadis.

"_It is him,"_ she said to Aslan, getting to her feet and meeting the newcomers.

"… I have known you long. Do you know me? ... How does this land suit you? … Would you like to live here always?"

"I'm a married man … neither of us would want to go back to London."

"_Summon her, Aslan,"_ Robecca asked of him, referring to the wife the Son of Adam mentioned.

Aslan let out a single note that called to the woman in the next world. Robecca merely had to open the portal that the woman had to step through, which she did to follow Aslan's summons.

When Robecca saw the couple standing side by side, she felt tears filling her eyes. Here before her was a soul complete, two halves of a whole in this married couple.

Each of their half glowed brighter in the presence of the other. Together they were stronger, more enriched, more than what either could be if they had been alone.

It was extremely rare for mortal humans to find their soul mates. Even if they were in the same place at the same time, most of the time the two perceived the link between them as only a passing emotion, not the call of one soul to the other half that would make it unbroken.

This pair had been so lucky as to find each other, both of them becoming more than they could be because of it. Magic flowed between them, magnified by the complete soul, making unimaginable possibilities accessible to these mortals.

And now they had been chosen to be the first royal monarchs of her Narnia. It was she who was the lucky one.

"The first King and Queen of Narnia."

As to the boy, the one responsible for bringing Jadis to her world, Robecca knew there was only one thing she could do in punishment.

She would do what her brother had told her to do. Give him a fruit of the Solace Tree.

Her Father's magic ran deeply in this world. Even if she wasn't using it, it would always be there to undermine her own power, and right now she could detect it working to bring up creations similar to the worlds he had once created. A garden of magic was definitely growing in the northern country, defying her vaguely created boundary of the world and instituting itself.

It was there she would send the boy to be tempted with the alluring fruit of the Solace Tree.

The Solace Tree and its fruit was purely of her Father's magic, and where His magic resided, He could exercise His control, including His protection. Robecca was reluctant to do it, but she needed her Father's protection for this new world. She could not defend it from Jadis until the seven days were up, and she wasn't sure how long that would take. Narnia would need Father's gentle shield until she could destroy that menace for herself.

She knew sending them was a big risk to take. The witch was on the loose in the northern country, Robecca could detect her souless void moving around her new world. Jadis would undoubtedly try to tempt them into evil. The boy's soul was already on its way to corruption. He could easily be convinced to take the fruit for himself and suffer the dreadful consequences of that selfish choice.

But Robecca believed the boy could still be saved. Another trait of her idealistic nature, as Armede would say. She had hope for the human spirit, that anyone could be pulled back from the brink with the right stimulation.

She procured the boy's solemn oath and sent him off.

When they returned two days later, the outcome of their quest was clearly evident in the new pureness that shined from the boy's soul.

"_The Son of Adam smells different,"_ Aslan commented to her when the boy approached them with the apple in his hand.

"_He has grown in these past days with his decision,"_ she confirmed

He had confronted the temptation Jadis had offered him, and he was able to see through the trickery and resist her dreadful influence.

It gave Robecca hope, that if a slightly corrupt Son of Adam was able to overcome Jadis' manipulation, then her darling creatures had an even better chance than she could have wished for.

"… Throw the apple towards the river … proceed with the coronation …"

With the utmost enthusiasm, the dwarves set to work forming the royal crowns from the metal trees for their new monarchs. In scarcely no time at all, the dwarves presented their so-far most significant masterpieces to Lady Robecca.

With all of Narnia watching, all the creatures and life she and Aslan had made with their own essences, Robecca placed both crowns upon the bowed heads of King Frank and Helen his Queen.

"Rise up my King and Queen," she said to them. Once the couple had risen from their knelt position, Robecca swept a deep curtsey before them, much to the astonishment of all present, including the new King and Queen who were not certain how to respond to the gesture from the powerful Lady.

Robecca kept her head respectfully lowered before the new rulers of Narnia. She may have given them their royal power, but the Sons of Adam would reign in her world. The proud goddess paid the homage that was expected of her, hoping she would be rewarded with the respect of her own world in return.

Aslan recognized the significance of her formal reverence. As much as they would both wish otherwise, this world was not theirs to rule. They could not control the Sons of Adam, thus their world was at their mercy, as were Robecca and Aslan. They could only hope the monarchs would be wise enough to listen to their counsel and govern with a just hand.

Aslan followed Robecca's example and lowered his head as well.

The surrounding animals and beasts had not known how to respond to Robecca's curtsey (humans were still a foreign mystery to them), but when they saw Aslan bow, they immediately lowered their heads in signs of respect as well. The children had already reacted the moment they saw Robecca dip, Digory bowing and Polly curtseying, until the King and Queen were the only ones upright.

"_There is nothing to fear, my Lady," _Aslan comforted Robecca from his knealt position. _"Even _I_ can feel their pure souls radiating kindness and courage. Narnia is in the best of hands."_

She did not have the heart to reveal to him her fear of man's fickleness.

The King and Queen looked at each other in bewilderment, at a loss of what to do or how to respond. "Uh, please everyone, you can get up now," King Frank said uncertainly.

Robecca stood up first, her lovelier-than-diamonds smile restoring their self-confidence so they could present a composed face to their new subjects as they arose and sent up a loud cheer.

"Never fear your self-doubt," Robecca whispered to the shy couple. "It will keep you from arrogance."

They smiled tentatively at her and everyone cheering around them.

Before the noise completely died down, another dwarf approached Robecca and presented her with another tiara of the purest silver and whitest of diamonds.

Confused, Robecca smiled down at the dwarf, waiting for his explanation of the third crown.

"Uh, we made this for you, m'Lady," the dwarf said shyly. "The High Queen should 'ave a crown too."

Robecca was startled that her new people would have thought of such a lovely thing. Tears began to well in her eyes at the truly touching gift.

The tiara was deeply polished silver, but in must have been melded with white gold for there was a golden tint in its depths. The small diamonds set upon it were perfectly placed so that it glittered like the night sky.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, afraid to touch the precious gift the dwarf obviously took great pride in.

King Frank resolved this situation by taking the crown from the dwarf and lifting it high for all to see. Another great cheer went up as King Frank set it upon the curls of Robecca's bowed head. She was speechless, a single tear falling from her eye like a star.

"Look!"

The tree had flourished in her Father's growth magic. As long as it grew, her Father's magic would keep the witch at bay.

She had the boy pluck a fruit for the ailing mother he had mentioned, then she opened a portal that would take the children and the tainted uncle back to their world.

"_Lead them home, my Aslan,"_ she asked him, for she was not allowed to leave her world.

Ten Narnia years later (A/N: At last, my part of the story)

Robecca lifted the adolescent dwarf in her arms, stirring the flames of the diminishing spirit within his body.

"Will 'e be alright now, m'Lady?" asked his frantic brother.

Robecca managed to coax the dwarf's mind back into its previous state. She had arrived just in time, a little later and it would have been too late for her to do anything. His mind would've been lost to impulsive convulsions and ignorant frustrations.

She set the dwarf upon his feet and steadied his swaying body.

"Why do you not ask him yourself?" She smiled brilliantly at the dwarf.

The young dwarf's eyes fluttered open and he looked at his brother. "Frannie, what 'appened?"

Frannie threw his arms around his brother, unconcerned of the tears falling down his face. "Oh, thankee, m'Lady. Thankee deeply."

"Of course, Mr. Frannie. Now don't let him go wandering off alone again."

"Oh no, m'Lady. I promise I shan't!"

Robecca watched the two brothers run off for their village.

She knew Aslan was behind her before she saw him.

"_Was it another attack?" _he asked.

"_Yes, but she has not yet mastered her technique."_

"_The one she did manage to capture was found dead upon the mountain. He did not last long under her command."_

"_Then she will realize she needs to breed several generations to tolerate an evil heart. It will slow her up a little."_ she said sorrowfully.

"_Why do we not simply order these Children of the Earht to move south? It is dangerous here in the northern hills."_

"_The dwarves have chosen their home. We cannot take it away from them. Frannie and his brother have already known no other home."_

Robecca was walking toward the horizon as she spoke, Aslan beside her. Both of them were connecting to the air particles in the world, slowly dissolving themselves into the air currents.

A moment later, the clearing they had been walking in was empty.

Across the world, high up upon a mountain, Robecca's bare foot stepped onto the velvet grass of yet another clearing. Aslan joined her and they walked along a small creek of crystal water. They came to the edge of a cliff that soared up above the clouds and the rest of the world. Settling upon the edge, they gazed over the expanse of the sea. Millions of miles opposite their perch, Marcusolani was finding his bed on the horizon.

Robecca had designed this mountain after the paradise her brother and sisters had frequented in their youth. Robecca had been too young to visit the different worlds then, but she remembered her sisters talking about all the various affairs and assortments they had had with mortals. This had been back before her Father had established his law of Interference. She always had wondered whatever dreadful thing which of her siblings had done that made him forbid interactions with mortals.

Perhaps the ban to their favorite retreat had been the punishment for all of them, whatever it was they had done.

She had been horribly jealous for not being able to join her siblings on their mountain paradise, but now she had her own mountain, here in her own world. And she was allowed to mingle with the mortals.

_'It is a peculiar punishment Father has chosen for me,'_ she realized. It was the reversal of her siblings' punishment for interferring too much with mortals. Or maybe he was granting her the chance to associate with mortals when she had never had the chance before.

Speaking of punishments…

"The seventh day has begun, Aslan," Robecca whispered to her friend.

Aslan was the size of a large dog and his head had found a comfortable pillow in her lap. At her words, he tilted his head up and licked her chin.

"Once this day had ended, you will have to begin your life as a Daughter of Eve."

Robecca nodded, her sea-deep eyes still on the distant horizon.

"But the fifth day lasted six years. You may see Princess Paulette grown to womanhood before you begin the trial."

Robecca could not help but smile at the mention of the new baby. King Frank and Queen Helen's fourth child and second daughter had already inspired many bards to compose songs of her gentle nature and sweetness.

Her hand stroked Aslan's mane, finding the sensitive spot behind his ears he liked scratched. He started purring in her arms.

"This erratic time line makes me worry how long it will take me to age into my own womanhood," she said aloud.

"The third day only lasted a half hour," Aslan reminded her, still enjoying her petting. "You may go through adolescence within the first week."

Somehow, Robecca doubted it was going to be that easy. Her Father's tree had kept Jadis from venturing too far into Narnia, but with the people spreading out and settling in the northern lands, they were easy prey for Jadis.

The witch was trying to accumulate followers while her new magic grew, but so far she had little success. Robecca had created Narnia with only the purest of spirits, not holding back when she should have incorporated some evil intentions in her animals. They were all still as innocent and pure as children, and they were not easily corrupted while life energy exploded out of them. Jadis would have to wait for the death energy to slowly creep into their spirits, which would take generations, but like Robecca had seen today, the witch was impatient.

Frannie's little brother had obviously been a victim of Jadis' new magic. She had already successfully scrambled the brains of one other dwarf, making him disfigured, obedient, and dumb. No matter what Robecca had tried, the body had been too sullied for the pure spirit to correct it. Jadis had tried to use the poor creature, calling him a troll and her slave.

Unfortunately, the good spirit and evil mind had been at odds inside the dwarf's body. He hadn't been able to see two sunrises in that ruined state. Still, if Jadis could create trolls out of her lovely creatures, what would she be able to create after several centuries of perfecting her spells?

She could feel the witch right now. Jadis was in the northern mountains, trying to cast a spell on a few tree spirits. The spell rolled right off of them and they seemed more annoyed she wouldn't let them sleep than worried she could damage them.

"You're a hundred miles away," Aslan said, trying to get her hand moving again behind his ears, which she fortunately did.

"I feel horrible leaving the world in your hands alone," she said to him. He yawned in response.

"As long as the Children of Frank do not cause trouble, everything will run smoothly until you are old enough to govern again. There is nothing to fret over, my Lady. Things have been well so far, have they not?"

Indeed, the last ten years had Narnia flourishing with life and success. King Frank had shown the Narnians and his sons how to plant, reap, and sow a good field. Queen Helen had taken up projects that built sturdy homes with lovely gardens and organized trades amongst the assorted animals. Parks and schools for the human and animal children had been built first, followed by a fire brigade and a ship yard. A small fleet of ships already rested in a harbor and awaited the signal that would have them venturing out to explore the islands to the east.

The King and Queen lived in a large house with their children, but they spent most of their time outdoors with the different creatures and animals, so a giant palace was not presently needed.

Probably in good time one of Frank's descendants would order the construction of a hall large enough to hold a council meeting for all creatures, but the massive field outside the 'castle' was the perfect gathering place for a large group of animals. In truth, their animal friends still could not understand why the humans preferred to go into their peculiar structure at night.

The star sprites above them began their evening song. Robecca leaned back and smiled up at them, her head finding a comfortable spot on the grass. Aslan seemed to already be snoozing in her lap.

'_One more day,' _she thought, and then she would be trapped in the body of a mortal. She wondered how it would feel. If she would still be able to maintain her goddess mind, or if her entire essence would be transformed to a human body. Her Father had said all her powers would be hers as long as she wore the Royal Heart, but if she was supposed to be human, how would her powers still be hers to control?

She lifted her wrist. The Royal Heart glowing as a charm on a diamond bracelet.

King Frank and his had not been affected by the stone's call, but she knew the young Son of Adam from ten years ago had. As the generations went on, she would have to be more cautious. She couldn't lose what little would be left of her powers and leave Narnia completely defenseless. Aslan's magic could only do so much where Jadis and humans were concerned; he ultimately relied on her powers.

She could not let him down. She could not let Narnia down. And no where in her being did she have any intention of doing so.

Resolved with this truth, she lay back and let the star sprites' song lull her into a trance that connected her with the deepest resonations and undercurrents of the world. The solid and steadfast feeling of the earth comforted her with its unwavering soundness and she let herself be carried along in the pulsing energy.

It was the closest to sleep a goddess got.

The Next Morning

"Goddess, you must get up at once."

Robecca pulled her essence from the deepest reaches of the earth, returning to her body at the same time Aslan did.

The star sprites above Robecca's head were still singing their morning song to Marcusolani, who was awake and looking down curiously at the newcomer hovering over his mistress.

"Lucante!" Aslan exclaimed, springing up and rubbing against the wolf-goddess side in happy welcome. Lucante quickly acknowledged him, but then turned back to Robecca.

"Robecca, we must leave at once for the dwelling of the closet humans. The seventh day passed this Narnia night, as did thirty years of the Time stream. You must assume your human body before much more time passes. It could already have been another decade in the time it took me to travel here."

_'Thirty years passed in just one night?'_

Lucante was pushing Robecca and Aslan along as she spoke. They were in the air and almost to Narnia as Robecca overcame her momentary shock.

"Lucante, I understand your haste, but please tell me, how are my brother and sisters and Father?"

"NO TIME, CHILD!" she cried, setting down a little distance away from the great house where King Frank lived with his family.

It was still early, but King Frank and his oldest son were already up with the gofers and moles in the fields. Queen Helen sat on her front porch, showing her toddler, Princess Paulette, how to shell peas.

Robecca looked on the tranquil scene, saddened by the thought that this would be the last time she would remember seeing this family. They had been more than she could have ever hoped for, the perfect father and mother for the people of Narnia. It was a shame she did not have the time to tell them how grateful she was for their kind leadership.

"It is now time, my Lady," urged Lucante.

Robecca turned from the human family and looked at her beloved Aslan. Her hand lifted to caress his mane like she had last night, letting him know all her feelings of nervousness and sadness to leave him. He licked her hand and radiated the emotion that he understood and assurance that he would be fine on his own without her.

"Become human so that you may begin growing up," he said, but there was a sheen of tears in his eyes.

Robecca kissed his muzzle then stepped back from the demi-gods.

The Royal Heart hung around her neck in the form of a large pendant necklace again. She lifted it in both hands and rested her forehead against it, surrendering the last of her goddess powers into its keeping. Her Father's magic was now completely gone from her.

The physical energy that had been her body began to disperse to the surrounding universe. At the same time, a white mist began to seep out of the Royal Heart, but it did not crawl like a regular mist. This magical fog flowed over her like living water, swirling around all that was left of her goddess essence and engulfing her in an orb of the magical vapor.

Within the bubble, spirit energy mixed with the stardust of matter, creating the body of a living mortal.

Her essence was forced into this confining enclosure, which felt like skin stretched too tight over her essence which had only known the slight constriction of an energy field in the mortal realms. The spirit energy mixed with her essence like oil and water, but she forced herself to absorb it, knowing that life was only possible if she had spirit.

But there was one last ingredient in the mixture of this transformation, and up until this very moment, she hadn't been sure if her Father would go through with the complete alternation. She was becoming a Daughter of Eve, and that required a human soul.

Every little thing about human souls terrified and amazed her. They were something to admire, but only from a distance. But now, she felt the blooming of her own golden soul coming into existence within her new mortal body. However her Father had managed to fashion one to suit her essence was unfathomable, but nonetheless, it fitted into her being as if it had always meant to be there.

Within the womb of her Father's magic, she felt the complete conversion of her make-up into a Daughter of Eve. Spirit energy to keep her alive flowed along a mortal aura. Blood ran in veins in a body of skin, hair, and bone, pumped by the living tissue of a heart.

She was fully mortal. And she was fully _human_.

Body, spirit, mind, heart, … _soul_.

She was to begin her life as an infant, and grow along side her Narnia.

Human, and yet not.

These thoughts flittered around in her head as her human body began to mold her mind to its age.

Her last rational thought before the instincts and desires of an infant took over was this: _'If I now truly possess a real human's soul, then there is someone who has the other half. Who could withstand that level of potency and survive it?'_

It was several minutes later when Aslan approached Queen Helen with a tiny bundle dangling from his mouth and a cheerless expression on his face.

"Take care of this special child. One that will not grow old at the same rate as your own children, but one that may see many generations in only one age for her. She is deeply vulnerable and has great need of your protection, and the protection of your grandchildren's grandchildren."

Queen Helen accepted the bundle and gazed down on a beautiful baby with hair as golden as the sunrise and eyes a piercing blue of the rarest of sapphires.

And around the baby's little neck was a small, blood-red pendant. A heart-shaped stone the Queen had seen only on the Lady Robecca.

* * *

**And there we are, the next chapter and the beginning of the adventures. So much stuff is coming up, it's so exciting!**

**This is also the beginning of the era jumps on the timeline. The scene changes will be within decades (lots of 'ten years later...' 'later that day...' stuff)**

**So, I feel like I was totally off my game with this chapter. I read through it again and it doesn't sound like the same quality of the previous chapters. What do you guys think? I need to know how much harder I should be trying, it has been so long since I wrote this I can't even get back in that mindframe.**


	6. Chapter 6 The Next 1800 Years

**Hah! I forced myself to finish this chapter before summer was up, and I've done it!**

**Has anyone else noticed how many CS Lewis fanfics are posted everyday? Make one post and it is on page 6 by the next day. Eek, that's a lot of oneshots.**

**This is a screwy type of chapter. It is supposed to represent the passage of time between the Magician's Nephew and the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It's a whole bunch of scenes spanning anywhere from one week to five hundred years apart that contribute to the struggles Robecca faces growing up and Jadis' rise to power. It's a new technique I experimented with, and I'm not too sure I like it. What do you think?**

**And you may notice as you read how very bored I got with this chapter: starts off not bad, then gets bad. I've lost so much drive and interest in this story, which is kinda funny since the best part is in the next chapter. I may have to take another couple month break before I gain inspiration to write this again. I really miss my other fanfic and I wanna get back to it. **

**I'm sorry to everyone who loves this story. This is a long-awaited update and the chappie is boring, and the good stuff coming up isn't even in my mind yet. Please send reviews so I will get off my lazy butt and write. **

**As always, you guys are amazing for reading my fanfic, and I wish I owned Narnia but I don't.**

* * *

"But Nana, why isn't Robecca getting growed up like I am?"

The Dowager Queen Paulette the Third lifted her nine-year-old granddaughter onto her lap.

"I can remember my mother's answer when I asked that question as a child."

At the former Queen's feet, the castle children were playing in the grass of the new courtyard. Little Robecca didn't appear any older than her grandson, who wasn't even eight months old yet. And she had looked that age for as long as Paulette the Third could remember.

"Robecca is a very special girl, Lorilla," said the old Queen to her grandchild.

"Mummy says I'm special too," said Lorilla stubbornly. "That's not a reason."

The little girl was starting to get frustrated; her Nana was doing that grown-up thing of keeping secrets from her since she was just a kid.

Paulette sighed, realizing she was not going to get out of explaining this to her clever grandchild.

"All little girls are special, my dear, but Robecca is different. She… She is not of our world."

"What's that mean?"

"It means… she's from a place completely different than Narnia or Archenland or anywhere else we could visit. She is from an entirely other world, and it takes them a very long time to grow up there."

Paulette watched baby Robecca crawl across the grass and pick a daisy that had managed to grow outside the garden patch. She held the flower in her tiny fist and shook it in delight.

Mrs. Goat's new son, Will, saw the swinging flower and crawled over to Robecca on his shaky young legs.

"So Robecca will never grow up, Nana?"

"She will. Eventually. But it will take a very long time. In my whole life, the only sign I've ever seen of her aging is that she can now sleep through an entire night."

She looked down at Lorilla to emphasize her next words. "Our family was entrusted to take care of her. She needs our help until she's old enough to take care of herself. And someday, it will be your turn to look after her."

Lorilla scrunched up her little freckled nose. "I don't wanna have to take care of some smelly baby all the time. I'm never gonna have babies."

"You'll feel differently someday. Wasn't she a good friend to you when you were that age? And now she's your brother's playmate."

"I guess so. It is fun to have a little sister, but I wish she would just grow up so we could still play," grumbled Lorilla disappointedly.

Robecca gave the daisy she had picked to the baby goat. Will munched it happily and Robecca giggled at the slobbering noises he made, clapping her hands in glee.

"It is a peculiar situation, one that we really shouldn't have to be inconvenienced to endure for so many years," Paulette mused aloud.

Robecca looked up at the Dowager Queen just then, her deep blue eyes revealing more understanding and intelligence than should be seen on an infant. There was no doubt that as young as she was, Robecca comprehended exactly what Paulette had just said.

Paulette smiled down at the unusual child in response. "But there have been many unexpected wonders that have compensated for it a million fold."

Robecca's Diamond smile was toothless, but it still demanded all the beauty of the world when she showed it. Her musical laughter filled the courtyard.

* * *

"What is the brat doing!? She'll break it!"

"She's teething, and she chews everything in reach, including that pendant," said prince Quinnel to his friend.

"She shouldn't be allowed to have such a valuable jewel," said Aidan. "Can't your parents put it away or something?"

"The Royal Heart has to be with her at all times. If she doesn't have it, she gets really sick and cries and cries," replied Quinnel.

"But she could easily lose it," said Aidan anxiously.

"Nah, I don't think so. That rugrat is smarter than you sometimes," said prince Quinnel with a smirk.

After another few seconds of watching the baby Robecca playing with the mesmerizing necklace, prince Quinnel whispered, "You wanna hear a secret?"

At Aidain's eager nod, Quinnel pulled his friend into a secluded alcove behind a curtain.

"Once when my uncle Oric visited us from Archenland, he tried to lock up the Royal Heart in the royal treasury," whispered Quinnel.

"Well that was smart of him. I don't see why the other grown-ups haven't done that."

Prince Quinnel shook his head. "Robecca got really sick and cried for two days, and then she stopped crying. The third day, she fell asleep and wouldn't wake up. Mum was really worried, but she didn't know Uncle Oric had the necklace.

"Then the next day, Aslan appeared."

"For true?! The great lion appeared?! Was he as big and grand as they say?" asked Aidan excitedly.

"Um, I dunno exactly. I didn't really see him, but I sure as Harry heard him!"

Quinnel scooted closer on his knees as he revealed a great secret most of the castle preferred not to speak of.

"Aslan was in Uncle Oric's room with him, and he was roaring really loudly. I think he was talking to him cause there were some pauses every once in a while for Uncle Oric to talk, but it was mostly Aslan roaring at him."

"What did he say to him?"

"I dunno. You could hear him roaring, but you couldn't understand his words. Maybe if I had been listening proper I could, but Mum was covering my ears.

"He yelled at Uncle Oric for almost a half hour, then Aslan ran out the main doors. Or that's what the cats told me. When Uncle Oric came out of his room, he went directly to the treasury doors and fetched the Royal Heart himself. He walked into the nursery where Robecca was sleeping and put the necklace on her, then he locked the door and said no one was allowed in the room until morning.

"Mum was upset, of course, she said he couldn't leave a helpless baby in a room all day, but Uncle had such a frightened look on his face that Mum had to listen to him.

"When he opened the door the next morning, Robecca was sitting up in the middle of the room playing with the toys. Uncle almost fainted he was so relieved. Then he told everyone that we could never, ever take the Royal Heart from Robecca ever again."

"Wow," whispered Aidan. "So the Royal Heart is like her real heart? It keeps her alive? No wonder Aslan was mad she didn't have it."

"Yes, but I heard General Owl tell my father that he had seen Aslan in the room with Robecca that night while on watch. So Aslan must've done some magic to wake her up."

"What do you think he did?"

"I dunno, maybe he-"

"PRINCE QUINNEL!"

The curtain was swept back and Nurse Goose stood before the two little boys. Her feathers were fluffed up and she looked quite irritated.

"Finally I find you! Your math lesson was ten minutes ago, and here you are hiding like baby goslings," scolded the old goose. "Not to mention speaking like them! How many times must you be reminded to speak properly? Now say it correctly: I _don't know_."

"I don't know," prince Quinnel repeated with a bowed head.

"Very good, now off with the two of you. Shoo!" Nurse Goose clacked her beak at them as they scurried down the hall to their classroom.

* * *

Three bandits stumbled into a darkened glen in the forest south of Archenland. The moonlight revealed they were out of breath from running all day long with the heavy bags on their backs.

"Do you think we should risk stopping?" asked one.

"I'm not taking another step until I've had some food and sleep," said another, plopping down his heavy bundle and collapsing on the forest floor. His companions followed suit. In an hour, they had built a fire and eaten the meager scraps of meat from their pouches.

The man who had decided to stop, the leader of the three, licked what little meat was left on his fingers and looked around at the other two.

"That was our biggest score yet. Those pampered royals probably still don't know they were robbed in the middle of the night. We'll be long gone before morning. The southern pirates will pay handsomely for these lovely treasures," he said greedily, patting his heavy knapsack.

"I don't much care for them," said the other man who had spoken before. "They are a mighty suspicious lot. They just _appeared_ outta nowhere twenty years ago and built up a pirate town in the desert."

"You're one to talk. Aren't you descended from the Bus people? Who happened to turn up in the middle of a river bridge in the covered metal wagon?"

His friend kept his mouth shut. That group of settlers had been ostracized for generations because they had gotten off their _bus_ spouting nonsense of going to see animals in cages at a place called Zoo. No one had taken too keenly to the idea of having animals locked up for fun.

"At least the pirate town won't ask us questions about the goods," their leader continued. "We should take inventory of the spoils before we get to close to the desert, though. Let's see what we got."

He pulled open his sack and dumped out the stolen bounty. His friend did the same and they sifted through the various shapes of gold, silver and marble.

Their third companion, the one who had yet to speak, continued to stare into the fire and sip from the now empty cup his friend had pressed into his hands.

"C'mon, Huster. What did you get?" The leader demanded when he saw the man just sitting there. He grabbed Huster's bag and dumped out the contents. Only some gold candlesticks and plates spilled out, nothing special, but still worth something.

"The bag's only half full!" He yelled at Huster, throwing the empty sack at him. Huster seemed startled awake at the flying bag hitting him.

"You could've grabbed twice this much you rotten skunk!"

Huster gave his companion a look that caused a shiver up his spine. He shook off the eerie feeling and crawled away from Huster to his sleeping pallet.

Huster watched him go, and then observed the other man slip into bed, but he remained at the fireside. He was thinking about what had happened that night, about what he had taken, and from whom he had taken it.

His treasure was burning a hole in his pocket. He had wanted it from the moment he had seen it glowing around the young girl's neck. All other treasures in the world had seemed ugly and worthless when put against the stone.

After he had lifted it off the girl, her eyes had popped open. But instead of screaming for help or turning pale with fright, she had just lain quietly and watched him walk away with icy blue eyes.

It had made him hesitate for a moment about taking the girl's necklace, but it didn't matter anymore. He had the large ruby now, it belonged to him. He had no intention of sharing it with anyone, especially his companions who were far from worthy to look at its beauty.

He decided to leave that night. Let the petty thieves keep their petty trinkets, he had the gorgeous stone now, and he would never need anything else.

Huster was gone from the fireside within moments, taking only tin cup he still clutched in his hand.

When he was sure he was far enough away from the campsite, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the lovely pendant. A cloud moved away from the moon just then, and the moonbeams made the red jewel shine as brilliantly as a sunrise.

Huster stood staring down at the beautiful ruby, hypnotized by its hidden depths. He lovingly ran his fingers over its smooth surface, appreciating its warm weight in his hands.

A nearby sound broke him out of his trance. He might not have noticed it except for the fact that it had interrupted the hum that seemed to come for the stone.

Huster glanced all around for the source of the noise before he noticed that there was absolutely no sound coming from the forest anymore.

Then he heard it again. A vicious growl.

Coming from… right behind him!

He whirled around and came nose to muzzle with a huge lion.

_Aslan!_ His mind screamed. A hero to the forest animals, but little more than a myth amongst humans.

And Huster wasn't the most courageous of men. He spun around and ran as fast as his feet could carry him, still managing to hold his precious prize in his hand.

He ran blindly and in a panic, refusing to turn and see the lion chasing after him. He did eventually run out of breath and stop with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his second wind.

When he managed to look up, in front of him was the small girl he had taken the necklace from. She was sitting on a rock and beside her was a gorge. Now that he looked around, he realized they were on a cliff overlooking a gorge at least two hundred feet high.

The girl still had those sad, pitiful blue eyes turned on him. Her small hand lifted palm up to him. "Please, sir, won't you help me get back?"

How she had gotten there and when didn't even occur to him, and her words didn't register in his mind either. All he could see was the kid holding out a hand for the necklace he had rightfully stolen.

It was _his_ necklace now! His! She couldn't have it!

Huster looked all around him, but the gorge seemed to take up his entire vision.

He had only two choices: give back the pendant, or jump to his death with it.

He wasn't going to give up the necklace!

Huster leapt over the cliff. His body was broken and his spirit free before he reached the bottom.

Aslan returned the Royal Heart to the sobbing Robecca minutes later. The little girl stared down at the powerful stone. Although her brain was that of a child's, her mind vaguely grasped the tragedy of the situation.

"You couldn't save him, Robecca," Aslan whispered to her. Her arms reached up and grasped his mane, burying her tears in his fur.

"I wanna go home, Aslan," she whimpered.

Aslan didn't know to which home she was referring, but he helped her mount his back and carried her to the one available. They were back before the royal family even noticed she had left.

* * *

"I never know what to expect. Sometimes it seems like she ages three years in three days, and sometimes she only ages three days in three years. I've known her my entire life, but I still don't understand the rules of the spell she's under."

"Your Majesty, is it wise to have a mere six-year-old girl at a war meeting?"

"This is not a war meeting!" A prince objected.

King Jasper chuckled. "Believe me, counselor. She's far older than six years."

"But she doesn't act like it, sire. She used to be the baby-sitter for my children, then she was their playmate, and now they baby-sit her."

"As is the way of things. But Aslan insisted that she be here for this meeting."

"It will be a nice change for her not to have to worry about the older children stealing her necklace for one day."

There was a pattering of little footsteps on the tile outside the room. A minute later, a little girl with bouncing blonde curls rounded the corner. Her face looked like it had been scrubbed clean with lemon juice and her gown was freshly pressed to perfection mere minutes before. A silver and diamond crown sat upon her head, a heart-shaped ruby glowing at the tiara's apex.

Robecca stumbled through a clumsy curtsey. Despite her obvious little girl uncertainty, everyone watching could only describe her as adorable.

"Forgive me for being late," she said in a voice that sounded like bells.

She was trying very hard to be on her best behavior, just like her current foster mother had told her. That meant she wouldn't be able to eat the powered treats on the table or else she would soil her new dress.

"Welcome, my dear," greeted King Jasper with a wide smile. "We were going to start upon the arrival of you and-"

"Aslan!" cried Robecca.

She turned in the doorway and rushed to hug the lion who had just stepped through the door. The lion purred as she stroked his mane affectionately.

'_I missed you, my Aslan. You must come and see the new kittens in the barn. One of them looks just like you!'_

'_Robecca, I need to talk to you and the others about something very important first.'_

'_But then you will come see the kittens?'_

'_Yes, of course, precious one.'_

Robecca beamed her Diamond smile, her new little teeth glittering like pearls and lighting up the room with its radiance.

"Welcome Aslan," said King Jasper with a respectful bow. Aslan nodded in return.

The other men in the room gazed in wonder at the great lion. Aslan only appeared to a select few humans. There were many more sightings amongst the animals and creatures of the forest; some even claimed he was a frequent dinner guest at their homes. Aslan was known much better in the animal world than the human world.

They really had no idea how much he visited Robecca.

"Now that we are all here, why don't you start, Master Hawk?" said Aslan to the great bird perched on a bony chair.

The hawk ruffled his feathers nervously as all the eyes in the room turned on him. He didn't do well in closed spaces, but he was more anxious to speak before the assembled group of people.

"Uh, well,… It waz lazt week. My mate and I were flying over the marzhez when we noticed zome ztrange tree spirit in the diztance. Except, when we flew clozer, we zaw it waz not a tree spirit at all. It waz a troll az big az a tree spirit."

"A troll the size of a tree? Is such a disastrous thing possible?" asked the Commander of the Squirrel Patrol.

"I'm afraid it's worse than that," said a lieutenant centaur.

"Last month my squadron came upon a rabbit colony in the north plains that had been smashed into dust. The two survivors we found said it had been hairless tree spirits who spoke only in grunts and smelled dreadfully. Indeed, the entire place was covered with footprints the size of dinner tables and smelled like a dog that hadn't bathed in weeks. No offense meant, Master Beagle."

"None taken," ruffed the dog.

"Mad tree spirits? Who are too grounded and wise to give into madness? To say they are witless as trolls is laughable," said the one wood nymph that had been brave enough to venture indoors for this meeting.

"They are not tree spirits," said Aslan. "Not anymore. They have become something far worse."

Everyone quieted when Aslan spoke, all of them curious as to what he could mean. But it was the horrorstruck look on little Robecca's face that warned them of the gravity of the situation.

"She finally did it, didn't she? She managed to spoil the tree spirits," Robecca whispered; she was on the verge of tears.

Aslan nodded to her. "Jadis has cast a spell on the tree spirits that has managed to corrupt their logic and phantasm. They are now solid, ignorant creatures with no link to the trees or earth. Jadis made them with a short temper and a long arm. They can do much damage in little time, but their strength stems from a senselessness that is barely under their control."

"Then we can easily defeat them," claimed a bear guardian. "Trolls are easily outsmarted; these creatures will be overcome within the year."

"She has created the giants that terrorized her world for hundreds of years before her grandfather hunted them to extinction," Robecca said absently. She had wandered over to the window and was looking out on the rolling green landscape, an expression of extreme sadness on her face.

"They are giants, for sure, but they are not naturally evil. They just have little comprehension for the situations around them and low tolerance for frustration. They take out this irritation with brute force," said Aslan.

"Then it is like the bear says, we can outwit and eliminate the giants," said another advisor.

"No, we need to reach them," cried Robecca, spinning around from the window and facing the roomful of people. "They can't be lost to us! They just can't!"

"_Calm down, my dear. They will not all fall to Jadis' will_." Aslan comforted her. He stepped to her side and nuzzled her face. Robecca wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on desperately.

"Robecca speaks true. Some of the tree spirits can be saved in their new forms, but there will be no going back to the earth guardians they once were," Aslan said.

"Like dealing with a nervous horse," said King Jasper thoughtfully. "A firm, but cautious hand, and always ready to retreat when the situation goes sour."

The plans for finding the giants began to take shape.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find them if they reek so wretchedly, and their size should make them easy to spot too," as the Bulldog remarked.

Aslan decided Robecca had heard enough. They both slipped out of the room before anyone took notice.

In the barn behind the castle, Robecca cried into Aslan's mane for a half hour over the loss and corruption of their tree spirits. Aslan let her cry since he could not, though his heart-breaking pain was still there.

"_How is she able to do this? Would a soulless one have this much power?"_

"_No, she couldn't. Not even with Father's power,"_ said Robecca as she wiped her eyes. _"She must be getting help from someone."_

"_Help? But who could help her change the elemental composition of living creatures?"_

"_I don't know. The only ones with that power in this world are you and me. Unless, ... oh no."_

"_What Mistress? Why are you so sad?"_

"_Could ... Could my Father have betrayed me yet again? And given her the power of the gods?"_

Aslan was silent. He didn't know how to answer. That her Father would dare do such a thing for a soulless one was simply not comprehensible. It was far too dangerous for any mortal to possess.

But it did seem like her Father had yet again undermined Robecca's authority by giving Jadis the creation magic that was only reserved for Robecca's family. It was the only explanation for the dreadful things Jadis had been able to do the last several generations.

"_Does Father have no confidence in me at all?"_ Robecca asked, brokenhearted.

Aslan did not know how to answer. He had spent the last centuries alone with the decision-making in Narnia while Robecca's human mind was too young to strategize. It had been a lonesome job, but he had done it in the hopes that Robecca would someday be instantly grown again. Then he could resume his place at her side and let her govern while he encouraged again.

There were moments, like now, when she was lucid enough to be the goddess ruler she was supposed to be. But he could never be sure how long it would last, when she would revert back to her human child self and leave him alone with the problems of Narnia again.

Right now, though, he wished to leave the potential threats and complex issues behind. He wanted the pure innocence of Robecca's childhood.

"Shall we go see your kittens?"

Robecca's face lit up with joy, the troubles forgotten in the face of her little girl priorities. Who could be sad when there were kittens that looked like Aslan? But he needed to see them now before they died too quickly like everything else.

Nothing ever lasted long enough for her, not the kittens, not her friends, not even the brilliant ideas she could only grasp like water through her fingers. Even so young, she had learned to cherish what little moments she was given before they were taken away.

"Oh yes, Aslan. Come this way." Her careless laughter echoed in the barn's rafters.

* * *

"How was an entire village besieged overnight?" princess Dafine asked the general of her father's army.

"It can only be the work of the White Witch, your Highness," came the reply.

From atop their horses, they surveyed the damage before them. All around them were the smoldering remains of what had once been a little town of houses and shops. The walls of the buildings still barely standing were charred black, the outlines of figures displacing the soot, meaning a giant flash fire must have swept through and eliminated the people instantly.

"Has my brother been told of this yet?" asked the princess.

"He has been busy all day with the rebels, princess. They are still convinced they must join Jadis or be destroyed."

"We should show them this village. Show them exactly what happens when any Son of Adam comes close to the White Witch. This is the fourth village this summer to be wiped out, and they have all been human settlements."

A centaur came galloping up behind them. "Princess, your father has ordered your return to the castle at once."

"Why? What has happened now?"

"The king is concerned for your safety so far away from the city."

Princess Dafine scoffed. "Innocent people are being killed everyday. Others are so scared of the power the White Witch yields that they think they should surrender themselves over to her control. My father and brother are already bone-weary dealing with this situation; the least I could do is help them."

The centaur looked uneasy. "So you will not be coming back?"

Dafine straightened her shoulders and turned back to the burnt town. "Not until this place has been cleaned up and the survivors have been seen to."

"But my lady-"

"I will not be going back anytime soon!"

"But my lady, what shall I tell little Queen Robecca?"

That caused Dafine to pause for a moment. She had promised Robecca she would teach her to write calligraphy this month.

"Telll her, ... not to worry. I shall be home soon. She'll understand I cannot leave while others are in need."

It wasn't even a half hour after the centaur had ridden off that the ground began to tremble.

Princess Dafine never made it home.

* * *

"But Aslan, why do I have to leave?" asked young Queen Robecca.

It was her foster mother, Queen Ruella, who answered her question. "It is no longer safe for you here, my dear."

She reached down and held the girl in her arms. The Queen thought longingly of when her own daughter had been this size, around the age of nine years or so. Princess Garnet was now sailing for Galma to see how the settlers were faring there. The Queen missed her daughter dreadfully, and it saddened her to have to say good-bye to her life-long friend too.

"Robecca, you have known me my entire life. You know I would not send you off unless I thought it was absolutely necessary," said Ruella soothingly.

Robecca pouted her lip. "But I don't want to leave you, Ruella." She broke down in tears and threw her arms around the queen's shoulders. It didn't matter how many times she warned herself, she loved every younger sister who grew up to be her mother and grandmother, and Ruella was no different than the countless brothers and sisters before her.

"I know you don't, my dear, but it's for the best." Ruella closed her eyes before her own tears leaked out too.

"Will Garnet know where to find me when it's her turn to be called Mama?"

Ruella looked over at Aslan. Robecca was going into hiding, and no human was to know the location where.

It was uncertain how long she would be gone. Until the war was over? When Jadis was finally defeated? Or would Robecca have to spend the rest of her childhood in hiding, however long that would take?

The look Aslan gave her told Ruella this would be the last time she ever saw Robecca. It made her hug the girl even tighter.

"Be a good girl, Robecca. Be polite to whoever is taking care of you. And remember that I love you, just like my mother did, and just like Garnet does."

"Yes, Ruella," said Robecca through her tears.

One more hug and a butterfly kiss, then Robecca walked to Aslan with her little pack of clothes swung over her shoulder.

"Farewell, Queen Ruella. We shall meet again," said Aslan, then he led Robecca out of her room. When Ruella looked out the doorway, Aslan and Robecca were gone.

In a glen by the Great River, on creek off the fork of the river that did not flow out of Lantern Waste, stood a tree as old as the world itself. It's trunk was wider than an elephant is long, and all the other great trees around it appeared to be saplings in comparison to its size.

It was here that Aslan greeted a large family of dwarves at sunset, a sleeping Robecca on his back. The dwarves helped to carry the sleeping girl, even though she was a good foot taller than the tallest of them, into their underground home. They put her into a bed that had been designed long enough to fit her large frame, then left her alone to sleep.

Aslan thanked the dwarf family again and blessed them with much fortune before he returned to the king's council chambers.

* * *

"She has truly changed, Aslan. You were only gone two weeks, but even me father says he has never seen Robecca grow so quickly before in so little time. She been spending the last few days sitting there on that rock, just looking out on dis river and barely saying anything to anyone."

"Thank you, Son of Earth." The lion dismissed the dwarf.

Aslan studied the motionless figure beside the river. Her Daughter of Eve form was indeed older than the last time her had seen her a fortnight ago. Her golden hair was long and swept up in a crown of braids on her head. Her dress was newly made by the female dwarves of the house to accommodate her new size.

But more than that, there was finally the light of intelligence and cognition in her expression.

Before him was twelve-year-old girl, a body finally mature enough to have the brain capacity his lady's mind required. Robecca was back at long last, and from the sad look on her face, she believed it was too late.

She looked up as he approached, and her face lit up in happiness, but no smile appeared on her lips. She didn't jump up off the rock and throw her arms around him as she was accustomed to doing. Aslan was a little disappointed, he missed that enthusiastic little-girl welcome.

"Darling Aslan, it is so good to see you again so soon," she said in her melodic voice. Her perch on the river rock set her a few inches above him, so her outstretched hand could rub him between the ears.

"_Mistress, it is truly wonderful to see you back to your old self again."_

"_Well, not quite my old self. I'm still a young Daughter of Eve after all."_

"_But you could resume your old duties again. And it is not a moment too soon. The situation with Jadis is very dire. The Sons of Adam lost almost all hope when Prince Matthias's son joined her army."_

Robecca looked back to the river again and didn't speak for a while. Towards the opposite shore, several young Naiads were splashing each other while several wood gods looked on. This pastoral scene was peaceful to see, but there were many other pressing matters Aslan wanted to speak of now that Robecca had her wits about her again.

The last hundred years had been a constant battle between Jadis and the Sons of Adam, and there were too few victories too far between for the humans to keep up their morale. Jadis focused all of her attacks on the humans; the creatures who survived these clashes were coerced into working for her.

Even worse, Jadis had a new weapon. She seemed to have condensed her magic at its most saturated level into a scepter. She fed magic into this wand so it became a source of stored magic for her to draw upon in a moment. Otherwise her spells took weeks of preparation, like the recent spell she had used to turn a flock of flying horses into dragons.

Every year Jadis' army seemed to get bigger. More hideous and disgusting creatures were always turning up, and it was now mandatory to develop an immunity to ogre breath if anyone tried to fight against the Witch.

And the numbers of humans dwindled every year. Even though Aslan still didn't quite understand the Sons of Adam, he had to admit Narnia seemed emptier without them here.

"_Prince Harold's army is nearby, Mistress. If you go and advise them what to do, we can turn the tides on the witch who dares to call herself a queen."_

"Maybe she deserves the title," said Robecca quietly.

Aslan was shocked into silence. He would never have expected his Robecca to give up hope. Wasn't she the one who had been impatient to grow up so she could defeat Jadis and end the constant torment she caused?

Now Robecca was finally at that age, at very long last. Had he spent these last centuries waiting all this time, only for her to become a total human?

Humans gave up quickly, or at least the cowardly ones did. Self-doubt and hopelessness were traits of mortals. Was Robecca now so much a mortal human that she had forgotten her goddess essence?

Jadis had figured out how to manipulate the minds of men, or the weaker ones at least. But lately, even the strong were succumbing to her control as well. It seemed the older the human was, the more susceptible he was to that control.

Had the witch found a way to influence Robecca's human mind as well?

But children were impervious to the mind control, and it was as Robecca had said, she was still a human child.

"Hope is not yet lost, Robecca. You can not give into the Witch. This task was appointed to you by your Father, and your punishment won't end until you have defeated her," Aslan said firmly.

Robecca was still silent, but at last she spoke. "Jadis has corrupted our darling world, Aslan. She has made our dwarves into trolls, our nymphs into witches, our Naiads into hags, the tree spirits into giants, the centaurs into minotaurs and ogres, and even turned the forest creatures against each other with only a little convincing."

"How, my Lady? How did she do it?" asked Aslan miserably, knowing she wouldn't have an answer, but feeling desperate enough to have to ask it anyway.

"Tash," she said simply.

"WWHHAATTT?!" Aslan roared loudly. He had not expected her to reply, and to certainly not give that answer.

"HOW? WHEN? WHY?" he demanded, but he wasn't likely to hear an answer.

He began pacing in tight circles. All these years, all this loss and disaster, it had been at the will of Tash! If he had known, if he had only known, he would've tracked down the god and eradicated him from this realm!

Robecca watched him walk around the clearing, knowing there was nothing she could do to calm him down when he got like this. She patiently waited for him to settle down and come back to her.

He did at last, his nostrils still flared and his breathing harsh. Robecca set her hand on his muzzle for a moment, sending a peaceful wave into his mind. She _had_ gotten stronger, she would not have been able to calm him like this even last year.

"I finally realized what that strange feeling was, the presence of another god. And it is Tash. I saw him yesterday when I was over Harfang. He met me later and spent the day taunting me with all the "generous" gifts he has inserted into this world."

"But this defies the Law of Interference! Why has he not been caught and punished!?" demanded Aslan.

"He was punished yesterday," said Robecca satisfied. "After I was done searing his feathers, my brother appeared and took him home. I doubt Tash will be allowed to go anywhere for a great long time."

Her fingers twitched, and from the thin air she pulled a long gleaming sword into her hands. "My brother gave me this in compensation," she explained, tilting it side to side and regarding its lovely sheen. The blade gleamed with a metal stronger and brighter than silver, and reflected the light of Marcusolni like the crystal waters of the river.

"The Sword of Truth? He wants us to restore the peace Tash stole with a weapon? I don't see how that will help unless we can use it chop off Tash's wings next time he trespasses!" exclaimed Aslan, still angry.

"Don't be spiteful, Aslan. It doesn't become you. But the Sword of Truth is difficult to wield even by humans of the purest souls. I can hold it effortlessly, but I can't imagine another man or creature being able to without the sword's magic making them feel the weight of their own sins."

Robecca sighed and the Sword of Truth disappeared from her hands. "It may have been a help to the corrupted spirits before. But, alas, the damage has already been done."

Her tone of voice worried Aslan, and for a moment, he couldn't even speak with the weight of the grave atmosphere.

"What has Tash done, Mistress?" he asked quietly, settling his head down in her lap. The Law of Interference did not apply to their world, it was a pseudo-world after all. He wouldn't make Robcecca say it allowed.

"He has told Jadis much of the hidden rules of the realms. She knows of my Father's Deep Magic, and she knows Sons of Adam will only rule in Narnia where I never can."

"Does she know of the Royal Heart?" Aslan asked, looking at the cursed stone around her neck.

Robecca lifted it up and studied the deep ruby. "She knows it is significant. But then again, so does everyone else in the kingdom. They know I rely heavily upon it and wear it always. She might make a try for it."

"She can't come close to the tree."

"But others can."

"Why are you so calm about this all, Robecca? You couldn't have given in this easily, what has happened?"

A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she affectionately petted Aslan. "I cannot hide from you, can I?" she said playfully, scratching that favorite spot behind his ears.

"Aslan, when was the last time you heard a baby cry?"

The question caught him off guard. It didn't seem appropriate or relevant, but somehow it must be important, so he tried to think. He had been spending time with the Prince's army lately, but ever since the castle had been attacked and abandoned, he really couldn't admit to hearing or seeing a baby.

"Since the palace fell and King Augusta was killed."

He knew there were some camps scattered about with the families of the soldiers, but they were constantly on the move because of the threat to the humans.

"She's exterminating the Sons of Adam. That's why she has been waging war against their settlements alone. She eliminates the children that can overcome her mind control, and removes the next generation in the process. She wants to rule Narnia, so she must destroy all who rightfully have a claim to the throne."

"But that doesn't make sense. A soulless one will not become queen simply because the other Sons of Adam are dead. You are a Daughter of Eve, my lady, and always the High Queen. Narnia will never follow her like they will you."

"Thank you, Aslan. But even as far as she has strayed, she was still born a Daughter of Eve, like I never was. My Father's magic will favor her as the true ruler once all the other humans are gone."

"You can fight her, Robecca. You are strong again. All you have to do is find her and finish what you started eighteen hundred years ago."

"I would, Aslan. I would this very instant if I knew it wouldn't destroy this body. Even if the mortal mind has developed enough to contain my thoughts, this body hasn't. This world will not allow me to sacrifice this mortal body. If I face Jadis, I must use my full power, but I would die before I achieved that state, and Jadis would still live. She would continue to wreak havoc on our children."

"Then… what are we do to, Mistress?" asked Aslan. Now that he understood her despair, he was falling into the abyss of hopelessness as well.

She didn't answer for a moment. Her fingers fiddled with the Royal Heart, a human habit she had picked up, as she tried to think of how to say this next thing to him.

"We need Sons of Adam that cannot fall under her spell. Ones that will approach this dilemma from another angle. Humans... from outside Narnia."

"I hope you are not referring to the pirate children to the south. None of them could be persuaded to come here." That led Aslan to another thought. "Those bandits' children are Sons of Adam. Won't they be favored to be the new monarchs of Narnia over Jadis?"

"Unfornately, no," replied Robecca, her face taking on a stormy disposition. "Another little present from Tash. He gave them water in the desert, and they are building a city up around the oasis. They are calling it Tashbaan, of all things! Just when I think I have escaped him, that bird has left his mark on our world! And who knows how many Daughters of Eve he has ruined!"

Robecca was all but fuming. "They idolize him. Him! A brainless parrot! And he will protect his new worshipers from Jadis' rampage against the humans, but in return, she gets all of our Narnia."

"Maybe one of them could be convinced to rule Narnia."

"Would you risk our beloved country to a Son of Adam who glorifies Tash?" asked Robecca scandalized.

"You are the one who always tells me that not all the Sons of Adam are the same. They cannot not be all mischievous and greedy," he said uncertainly. Just when he thought he was beginning to understand humans, Robecca shattered the illusion he had of them. Could he ever get it right?

She softened at his uncertainty and stroked his head gently, now a little calmer. "Aslan, we will not have to resort to the Calormen. I think... there might be another plan for this world."

"Another plan? What do you mean, Mistress?"

"I'm ... I really am not quite sure." Robecca stood and began walking along the river. Aslan followed.

"I've been having ... dreams, Aslan. For years, I've dreamt of a family where I am the oldest child. At first I thought they were visions from my Father, but whatever happened in them didn't make much sense. It was a whole bunch of random moments."

"When did you have these dreams?"

"They have been sporadic. Once a century, twice a century, it's impossible to tell. But I have watched the members of the family grow older with each dream, and I think I've finally understood what they are.

"Aslan, I've been seeing through the eyes of a Son of Adam in my Father's world."

"You mean... another human?"

Robecca nodded.

"Is it anyone you know?"

"I don't believe so, although he seems very familiar. I've known him my entire life, but I've never been able to see his face. But... I do know his family. He has two younger sisters and a younger brother between the girls. The youngest is so sweet, and mighty curious. She's always falling into boxes or finding rabbit holes, always getting cuts and bruises."

"They are children then?"

"Very delightful children, with noble hearts and spirits that shine like the star sprites."

"And you believe they will be the saviors that will defeat the white witch?"

"I do, Aslan. They will come to Narnia one day, of that I am quite sure, and they will help us eliminate Jadis from this world. And then... we will make them _all _kings and queens of Narnia!"

"_All_ of them, my lady?" Aslan staggered. "_Two_ kings and _two_ queens?"

"Yes, of course! It is only fitting. Together they will vanquish the witch, and they will all deserve the throne. We will give it to all of them to share!"

"My lady, that's ... it's ... insensible!" Aslan cried. "You know the way siblings fight, and you know the greed of humans. There is no way four could share the monarchy of Narnia. The tension levels are high enough between a king and queen as it is."

"They will be different, Aslan. I ... I cannot explain it to you, but I can feel the pure glow of their spirits from even this world. I have faith they will have more potential than any Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve we have ever encountered, if we only help to steer them in the right direction. They will bring a great era of peace to Narnia."

" 'Steer in the right direction' ?"

She giggled like the little girl she was. "Well, nobody's perfect. Remember, 'Faith,' Aslan."

He remembered when he had whispered that to her once very long ago. She had been fearful and uncertain then, just as he was about this prediction. It seemed his lady had gotten her insight back just in time to frighten him with the future. Jadis would win and conquer Narnia, and they would all be at her mercy until these four mystery siblings appeared and filled the vacuum for human sovereigns. And he and Robecca were supposed to blindly trust them to rule justly together.

It was hard to have faith in the face of a predicament that screamed danger and foolishness.

"I have faith in you, my Lady, and I trust you to know what is right." Aslan sighed. "Well at least we have a long wait before they are grown in their world and travel here. If your growth is any indication, it will be another eight hundred years, though I will not look forward to another eight centuries with the insufferable soulless woman. Who knows what she will do with that time."

"Oh no, Aslan. They will not be grown when we meet them."

Aslan looked confused again. "You cannot expect children to fight the witch."

"Why not? They won't fall under her mind control spell. And they will still have their innocent hearts that will give them more courage and strength than you could ask for in an adult. They will reign from childhood and grow with the new country they rebuild."

"But my Lady! Adults fight enough over power, how will mere children rule together? They will fight constantly, and we will have a civil war on our hands! Narnia will be torn four ways-"

"Oh very well, Aslan!" she cried, growing frustrated will his continuing doubts. "The eldest brother shall be named High King, and he will ultimately decide all quarrelsome problems."

"_High King_? But my Lady-"

"Will you object to that, too!"

"But Robecca, that is _your_ title. You will share it with a mortal?"

"I am mortal too, Aslan! If it will ease your nerves for unforeseen war, then it will be done!"

She huffed in exasperation and paced away.

Aslan choose not to question her anymore. He was beginning to think perhaps his lady had not returned to her entire presence of mind. She had spent so much time with these humans that she was developing all of their shortcomings along with their benefits, which included the quick-temper.

But if what she said about her Father's magic was right, then he needed to protect the Sons of Adam from total annihilation. King Humphrey of Archenland had his wife and children protected in his fortified palace with double the guard. They may be safe now, but Jadis could go after them at any time, and she would know exactly where to find them.

He would have them evacuated to the abandoned cities on Galma, the witch would never think to look for them there.

"Let us save even a few Sons of Narnia, Robecca. I will hide the Archenland sons on Galma, out of the reach of the soulless one."

"That is a great idea, Aslan," said Robecca, her face bright and cheery again. "And I will have the dwarves begin construction on a palace fit for two King and two Queens. It must have many bedrooms for guests from the forest and desert. And a great hall with pillars high enough to accommodate trees spirits."

"Uh, do they really need a new palace, Robecca?" asked Aslan skeptically, he thought she was taking this idea a little too far.

"Of course! They are only children after all; they won't be able to construct their own castle. Oh, and it must be on the coast, so they can see Marcusolni in the morning."

Robecca was getting very excited over her new idea. "Come, Aslan! Let us go tell Father Dwarf about the palace with four thrones! We could have it built in a matter of months!"

She took off running for the underground home before Aslan could stop her. He decided he would leave her and go begin convincing old Humphrey to send his family into hiding. He did not expect the Father Dwarf to take her seriously with this four throne idea.

However, Father Dwarf took Robecca very seriously. He could see Robecca believed what she said, and he was never one to question the will of a goddess. There had been so much destruction in his lifetime that the skills ingrained in him at boyhood for metal and wood working were waning in the new generations. The dwarves needed an outlet for their underused abilities, and a grand palace would be the perfect diversion from the death and betrayal that surrounded them.

By the next day, Robecca and Father Dwarf had chosen the perfect location for the palace: a peninsula that could be guarded on three sides by the sea. And by the end of the week, they had begun construction.

Robecca told all the workers that they were building the palace for two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve who would someday come to Narnia and overthrow the white queen, and then they would rule together. The story was so fantastic and incredible that they could not completely believe it.

Nonetheless, the news of the new palace and the prophecy seeped into the underground resistance and was passed amongst all who rebelled against the witch. Several believed it, but most mocked the absurdity of it all and thought the dwarves were wasting their time building a palace that would never be used.

Didn't they know the Sons of Adam were doomed?

* * *

A week later, Prince Harold's army was attacked and its survivors scattered, only to be picked off one at a time by the wolf patrol. When the news of this loss was reported, many children of Narnia began to view the actions on coast differently. With the humans gone, Jadis would gain control, and the only safe place seemed to be with Robecca, the only Daughter of Eve left to trust.

Soon, the Narnians were arriving in droves on the peninsula, which Robecca had named Cair Paravel after the cloud kingdom in Seanna's world. Everyone helped build the new palace, all of them needing the hope the castle represented. When this castle was inhabited, and the thrones were filled, then they would be free from the witch's terror.

Needless to say, Jadis was furious when she heard of this. She leveled an entire forest in her rage.

"That child will not trump me!" she cried to her servants. She demanded that all human camps hiding in the forest to be wiped out completely, and all the remaining human children killed on the spot. She tried to send a war party to the castle in Archenland, but it had already been deserted. The royal family had fled and no one knew where they had gone.

Even when this was done, Jadis was not satisfied. Reports came in everyday of the palace being erected on the coast and the hoards of volunteers arriving everyday to help in construction. Her magic could not reach that far into Narnia, and her servants were picked off before getting too close to the amassing camp.

Finally Jadis discovered a way to sneak a servant into the Narnians' base.

* * *

It was very early in the morning when Robecca became aware of the dreadful pounding that seemed to be boring a hole into her skull.

But nothing was physically touching her. She was safe and sound in her bed in the dwarves' underground home, but still, something was hurting her.

No, it wasn't hurting her. Someone was hurting something else, and doing something that was going to cause much pain to the children of Narnia.

Robecca slipped out of bed and tip-toed out the hidden doorway of the dwarves' home. When she reached the river, the pounding got worse, and she knew where it was coming from.

With a growing panic, she sprinted for her Father's tree, but a terrible crashing told her it was already too late.

She came upon the fallen tree, freshly hacked and the dust still settling around it.

Robecca stared in horror. It had been a shield for so long, not only for Narnia, but for her. While she had been defenseless all these years, she had relied on the tree to protect her from Jadis' power.

The one last link she still had to her Father's magic, and it was gone.

She heard the noise behind her, but she was too slow to react. A dagger was jammed into her side, the pain tearing a gut-wrenching scream from her mouth. The blade was harshly pulled out again, multiplying the agony a hundred-fold.

Robecca's knees buckled, there was no way she could stay on her feet with her side burning like a white sun. Even as she crumpled and tried not to be sick with the pain, she felt the Royal Heart warming from its place around her ankle. Its power was flaring up. The edges of the wound began to close.

Alas, her assailant was rolling her over, making the pain shoot up and down her body. She cried out again, but he didn't seem to care. He was busy patting her down and searching her pockets.

When her vision finally cleared enough, she was shocked. "Prince Carter?"

He had disappeared years ago, going off to join the white witch, but he hadn't been heard from since the night he left the palace, so everyone had assumed the witch had killed him on the spot. Apparently, that had not been the case.

"Where is it?!" he demanded with a crazed look in his eye.

"Please, my prince, I can help you," she whispered, reaching for her magic to break the dark spell she could feel filling his mind. Her powers were busy healing her wound, and it wouldn't transfer to her control. The Royal Heart chose to keep her alive rather than have her save the prince.

Prince Carter's eyes were hazed over and hooded, it was doubtless he could hear her. He was thinking of the promise the queen had made him. He would be king to her queen, together they would rule Narnia, but first they had to steal the Royal Heart from Robecca and dispose of her. Where was the blasted stone!?

At last he found it in an anklet and ripped it from her. Robecca immediately felt the weakness settling in. She had been this way countless times over the years, people were always stealing the stone from her, but it was the first time she had ever been injured this badly.

The pain rushed in and made her dizzy. The wound had stopped healing and she was bleeding again. Before everything went black, she saw Prince Carter disappearing into the trees.

"Follow him!" called a female tree spirit who had awoken at Robecca's screams. The other trees were stirring to life too, but it always took them a long time to become fully awake.

"Master Squirrel, please awake," she called to the inhabitant of her tree. "The Son of Adam has stolen the High Queen's Royal Heart!"

The squirrel went for Father Dwarf while the girl tree spirit went after the young man. She called to the fauns and raccoons, still active from their busy night, as she passed and explained the situation to them. They instantly joined the chase while some went for more help.

However, now Jadis could wield her magic in this area and she gave the prince quicksilver feet. It was a grand chase that spanned half of Narnia and lasted most of the day. It wasn't until the centaur nation had been notified and joined the hunt that they finally caught the boy.

"No! It's mine! It's mine! It's mine!" the prince screamed as the creatures and animals closed in around him. Now that he had seen the red ruby, he was not letting it go. He would not share it with Jadis, or with anyone else. There was power in it, and with that power, he could conquer Narnia on his own. All he needed was the Royal Heart.

The creatures had to pry it from his fingers in the end, with him screaming insults and cursing them the whole time.

"Quickly, Master Falcon. Take this stone back to the High Queen as fast as you can. Let us pray you are not too late," said the tree spirit who had seen the prince stab Robecca. It had been a mortal wound, and half the day had passed with her in that condition. There was no time to waste. She needed the stone back.

The Falcon took off in the air with the anklet dangling from his talons. He was surely quick, he honored falcons everywhere that day with his speed. He made it back across Narnia in a fraction of the time, but it was still too late.

Robecca had been found by the dwarves and the healers had all been sent for. They didn't dare to move her back to the house for it would only cause more damage. They instead brought blankets and bandages to her.

No matter what they tried to, it was no help. Her little face was pale as snow and she was slipping away.

"P-Please… my friend," she gasped to Father Dwarf. "Finish the palace… they w-will come… Someday… they will come."

It was the last thing she said.

By the time the falcon arrived, she had been unconscious too long. The Royal Heart was handed to a dwarf mother, and the chain lengthened in her hands.

She placed the necklace over Robecca's head and the effect was immediate. Her breathing returned to normal and his face flushed with a healthy glow.

"M'Lady? Robecca can you hear me?"

"Let her rest. She will come around."

* * *

Two days later, the Narnians began to wonder if they would ever see her awake again. She slept peacefully enough, her breathing light and her face serene upon the pillow, but even though she appeared to be in a light slumber, no one could wake her.

"Aslan will know what to do," suggested an elder fawn. "We should await his return. He will come to visit her soon enough."

"But how are we to protect her until then? She is utterly helpless, and don't forget, she's still a child."

The Solace Tree had been cut down, and the dreadful creatures of Jadis were now free to walk anywhere in Narnia they pleased. There were more and more rumors that the witch herself was seen in Narnia, but she did not come close to Cair Paravel.

While the wind seemed to blow with the witch's growing power of disaster, the single peninsula upon the sea still preserved the warm glow of Robecca's magic. The goddess had had the foresight to weave protection spells into the castle's very foundation, and even while unconscious, Jadis' power could not overwhelm the goddess' duty of protection.

* * *

It was late on the fourth night of Robecca's slumber. The wife of Father Dwarf was sitting up with Robecca, taking her turn in the constant vigil the female dwarves kept.

Into the calm darkness of the room stole several bright lights. One of the lights swirled in a spiral of sparks and a figure appeared. The dwarf mother recognized the Faerie queen and her procession.

"Daughter of Earth," the Faerie queen acknowledged. "The Sun Lord has given me a gift he hopes will awaken the High Queen."

From her waist, the Faerie took a small pouch and pulled out a vial as clear and lovely as crystal. The dwarf mother's trained eye identified the vial's material as exquisite diamond.

"What is within?" asked the dwarf.

"The nectar of the sun's starflowers. It has been known to overcome the laws of healing before."

The Faerie Queen stepped over to the sleeping girl and poured two drops of the vial's substance into the High Queen's mouth. Both the dwarf mother and Faerie Queen waited anxiously for something to happen.

Nothing did. The girl continued to peacefully dream on.

"Thank you for trying, Your Majesty. But I believe it will only be Aslan who will awaken her," said the dwarf mother after several tense minutes.

The Faerie looked at her with anxious eyes. "Have you not felt the growing weight of the air? Jadis' magic grows so strong I fear that not even Aslan will overcome it."

"Preposterous!" claimed the dwarf mother. "Nothing can hold back Aslan."

"Unless the source of his power has been suspended," said the Faerie, looking pointedly at Robecca.

This caused the dwarf mother to pause. She truly did not know if Robecca's condition would have any effect over Aslan. But if it did, it would explain why the lion was so tardy in coming to Robecca's side.

"Give the High Queen to us to defend," asked the Faerie queen at last. "We know how to hide her from Jadis' power. She will be safe until Aslan comes for her."

In the depths of the night, the dwarf chief's wife and the Faerie Queen made a desperate decision. Without the tree to protect them from the witch's magic, they were all defenseless, but still, they felt the same sense of protection over Robecca as she had had for them.

The fairies were entrusted with Robecca, and they stole her away in the night before the witch's spies could see.

When morning came and the other creatures asked the dwarf mother what had happened, she would only say that Robecca was safe from Jadis, and there was nothing else to know.

* * *

The moment Jadis had felt the Solace tree's destruction, her magic had increased incredibly. She had incapacitated Robecca and Narnia was hers for the taking.

There was only one last exception, which was quickly dealt with.

"How could you betray me?! You promised I would reign with you as king!" demanded Prince Carter from the chains where the hags had imprisoned him.

"I lied," said Jadis chillingly. With a single dagger, she ended the life of the last Son of Adam in Narnia.

The power of Queen had passed to her. Narnia was hers to do with as she pleased. Nothing could oppose the mandated sovereign of the land, not even the gods themselves.

"Listen well, Narnia! I am your Queen now! All who resist my will shall not be tolerated!" she cried raucously to the skies, her new powers carrying the exclamation across the land.

She immediately began to saturate the world with her new magic. She drove out any and all the life-giving power Robecca might have left and filled it with her own malicious intentions. She pulled the light and life from the world, and surrounded Narnia in a blanket of coldness that none of the creatures trapped within could escape.

And it was this cold barrier that Aslan found himself unable to penetrate. After safely transporting the Archenland refugees away from Narnia, he had gone to the pirate children, the Calormen, in the desert, hoping that maybe there would be a few among them worthy of Narnia. He wanted to find a leader and a king noble enough to overthrow Jadis and take back Narnia. Any human had to be better than a soulless one.

But his searching had been in vain, and he had come back to Narnia with the intention of protecting Robecca until her four dream children appeared. His mistress was more _human_ than that witch could ever hope to be, maybe the laws of the world would not name Jadis queen as long as Robecca still lived.

Instead, he found Robecca and Narnia had been encased in a globe of heatless light. No matter what he did, he could not overwhelm the witch's power.

It would take him several decades before he gave up and retreated to Robecca's sanctuary on the eastern edge of the world to await the arrival of the four children all alone.

* * *

As Jadis sucked the life energy from the world, the creatures within became more and more desperate.

"What are we to do?" they asked each other. Robecca had been rendered useless and had been sent off to heaven knew where. Aslan seemed to have abandoned them to the mercy of the white witch who now called herself queen.

"We must finish the palace," advised Father Dwarf. "Just as Robecca said. Our only hope now lies in awaiting the arrival of the two young Sons of Adam and two young Daughters of Eve. They will upsurp the white witch, break her magic, and bring back Robecca and Aslan. We must have faith they will appear."

"Why are the leaves changing color in mid-summer?"

Autumn can be a beautiful time of the year, but the dark brown leaves were anything but lovely to the children of Narnia. There were no plentiful feasts, no harvest moon dances. Everyone was too frightened of the wolf police who were having great fun punishing people for trying to preserve anything that reminded them of the Narnia they had known under Robecca.

There was no wind that fall to blow the colorful leaves. There weren't even any colorful leaves. They crumbled into brown dust the moment they left their branch. The forests were bare and naked, nothing on the branches or on the ground.

The tree spirits fell asleep all together in the same night. One day they were dancing and twirling together, and the next day the woods were completely still.

The spirit of what had been Narnia was seeping away. The only resistance seemed to come from the volunteers on Cair Paravel, working quickly to finish construction on a palace that may never hold a court.

With the first snow fall, Father Dwarf pronounced the castle finished at last. It was hardly a joyous occasion when the August sun was accompanied by January snow. It was a harsh snow storm that night, several inches that left everyone snowed in for three days. It was only the prelude to several more storms to come, which would layer a blanket of ice over Narnia for the next two hundred years.

Narnia fell into a cheerless winter, devoid of warm sunlight and silvery nights of cold starlight. The creatures had to succumb to the Snow Queen's wishes, but never did they lose the hope that Robecca had instilled in them with her prophecy.

They waited for the day when four children would appear and end the reign of snow.

* * *

Deep in the forest, high upon a cliff overlooking a valley was a tiny grove of trees.

Nothing spectacular about these trees, except for the fact that they had all been grown from the fruit of a fallen Solace Tree. Their branches grew close together, woven into a wall that separated the cold snow from the treasure encased within.

In the center of this copse was a bed of everlasting flower petals. It was here that Robecca passed the years of snow. Her gold hair spread out atop the petals and her hands clasping the Royal Heart. Peacefully sleeping and never-aging, she awaited the same day her people did.

* * *

**And that's how the prophecy and Cair Paravel came into being. With the school year starting, I know I'm going to have zero time to do any writing, so this may be the last time I can be creative until Christmas.**

**How was this chapter's composition? It felt like the last chapter, like the quality was off. I didn't get any complaints last time, but I feel like I'm selling myself short on my imagination. **

**Leave reviews and good luck to everyone starting school.**

**Peace y'all!**


	7. Chapter 7 From Dreams To Reality

Wow!... major Wow!

I thought I would be more excited that I finally got this chapter written. After spending almost 10 years daydreaming about it, you think I would have had the words and scenes memorized... but, I feel like I fell short somehow. I have this perfect image in my head that plays out like a movie, I have all the camera angles and every outfit planned, but I'm just not sure I was able to describe it the way it is meant to be.

For being so excited about it, you think I would be more enthusiastic to write it, but writing is SOOOO boring. And you have to be in just the right mood too, with the right music playing and the right inspiration, blah blah blah. Yeah, I know I'm just making excuses.

Anyway, I tried to give y'all the best chapter yet, but I'm afraid I fell flat. I can barely believe I wrote the previous chapters because they seem so wonderfully dictated and well-organized.

But then again, everytime I say that I think a chapter is bad, I get all these reviews that it's fabulous. So maybe my perspective is off.

Well, at any rate, good or bad, heres the next chapter.

**C.S Lewis has all copyrights. You wanna a good author, go read his stories.**

* * *

The dream was always the same.

He was walking through a grey wood in the middle of winter. Everything around him was dead and covered with colorless snow. The trees loomed over him, shushing together mysteriously as if they were watching and whispering about his passage. The top of the canopy was too dark to see, but it almost seemed like curious faces were looking back at him.

As usual, he walked quickly along the barely-there path, anxious to get to the clearing he knew was up ahead. The branches would part to let him pass, and then he would see _her_.

The girl with golden hair, asleep on the flowers.

She always awoke when he approached, sitting up and smiling at him, her incredible big blue eyes dancing with happiness to see him. And her smile would make the sun shine through the clouds and the snow melt. The flowers would bloom and leaves would bud on the surrounding trees while birds sang with the joy of spring.

She was his vision of beauty and sunshine. Her hair _was_ the radiant sun, her red dress the warming fires, and her eyes were the clear open sky.

Sometimes she laughed in her happiness. Her laughter was music he longed to hear, and was only lucky to hear it occasionally. He wanted to hear it this time. He hoped he could make her laugh this time.

By the end of the dream, the world would be bright and green again. Then he would wake up in his own bed, full of energy and positive something wonderful would happen that day.

As his feet moved along, his vision tunneled so the only thing he could see was the clearing at the end of the path he was walking. His heart sped up in anticipation. Soon he would see the lovely girl and her magical smile again. Maybe he would actually get to speak to her before the dream ended this time.

He reached the edge of the clearing, which was somehow wider than it had been before. And at last he could see her. The sunshine-girl lay almost twenty feet away, her golden hair fanned out above her head in a halo and her bright red dress spread out on the flowers, but there was also a figure in white crouching over her.

The figure took no notice of him, and he paused for a moment as two desires warred inside him. One wanted to wake the girl and hear her laughter again, but at the same time, a loud voice of self-preservation screamed at him to stay away from the white figure.

But this was dream, was it not? And dreams could not hurt you. No matter what you did or what happened, it was always gone by the morning light. Furthermore, his curiosity was winning out over his caution. He wanted to know who this new being in his dream was.

Slowly, he approached, not cautiously, but out of polite respect for the stooped figure who seemed to hold a certain power over his sleeping dream-girl.

Looking closer, he saw that the white covering was actually a cascade silver hair falling over the figure's body and trailing along the ground. But silver was not the correct color. It had streaks of yellow and gold, a sheen of red, and shimmered in other colors he couldn't identify. It looked as fluid as silk water, maybe even as soft and smooth as the golden hair of his sleeping girl.

Upon his approach, the figure stood and turned its head toward him. The not-quite-silver hair fell over one bare brown shoulder and revealed the dark features of a grand lady.

Her skin was brown like fresh baked bread, and appeared creamy smooth.

She was wearing a deep purple gown, the coloring shimmering as if alive, that fell to the ground and hid her feet completely. The skirt seemed to be made of a strong material, but the bodice couldn't be thicker than tissue wrap. The thin straps fell off her shoulders and left her arms bare in the cold air. But she couldn't be cold because her long silver hair wrapped around her like a fur coat.

As his gaze traveled up to her handsome face, he took in the full lips and handsome cheeks... and then he was captured by her large violet eyes. They seemed to be bursting out of her face, the whites of her eyes starkly contrasted against her dark skin, and making the violet irises dramatically prominent. They sparkled even more than his sunshine-girl's blue eyes, but with a hidden, reserved power.

In fact, he couldn't even look away from their vibrancy, which wasn't exactly violet. Like the lady's hair, it was deceivingly one color when it truly wasn't that color at all. It was a shade of violet he had never seen before, and it was swallowing him into its depths.

The lady moved forward, and he instinctually tried to step back, except his foot would not move. His gaze finally broke from the trance of the lady's eyes as he glanced down at his unresponsive legs. His knees shook as he tried to walk again, but his feet never left the ground they seemed glued to.

A movement in the corner of his eye had him turning his head to find the violet lady beginning to circle him. Her expression was unreadable as her fierce violet eyes scrutinized him. She didn't so much as walk as glide unnaturally around his back, like her feet were not even touching the ground.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, the air was humming with electricity, and he felt with an eerie certainty that the tingling power was coming from the lady. Whatever judgment she was passing on him, the punishment for failing would be unbearably severe. And there was no doubt that she could make any unforeseen terror completely possible.

Unable to move his feet, he waited for her to stand in front of him again. Once she had, the lady paused for less than a second before she repeated the trip around him, unsatisfied with her perusal.

Finally, she stood before him and stared hard into his eyes, the piercing gaze searing right to the heart of his soul where she could access all his sins and every malicious thought he ever had.

At long last, she withdrew her soul-searching gaze and spoke to him. "Other Half, why do you return to this place?"

'_Other Half,'_ She had called him

Other Half? Other half of what? Did she think he was not complete somehow? That some half of him was somehow not here? What could be the other half of him?

These questions and his confusion wanted to burst out of him, but instead his lips said, "I am called to this place every night and cannot resist the summon."

Why had he said that? He barely knew what it meant. Except... it was the truth, wasn't it? He couldn't help it that he dreamed of this place constantly.

The great violet lady took in his answer, and it seemed to satisfy her after a moment of contemplating. She turned back to the sleeping girl and did the eerie glide over to the younger girl's head. Leaning down over her face, the lady's silver hair fell around them both as her lips pressed against the girl's forehead.

Standing upright again, the violet lady regarded him once more. "You shall know my sister soon, Other Half."

When Peter awoke the next morning, he didn't remember the dream at all.

* * *

The eternal winter sleep was broken with the first steps of a Daughter of Eve onto the everlasting snow. By merely breathing the air and eating the food the fawn offered, the harsh spell that encased Narnia in ice began to diminish.

Jadis felt the effects immediately. However minimally it was, her powers had faded enough to make her take notice. For over two centuries, she had ruled this land with the manifest destiny of queen, the very last Daughter of Eve.

After fighting so long for that power, the slightest stirrings that it was slipping from her fingers sent her into a frenzied state. The Red Lady had slept all these years in a hidden location the White Queen had never been able to discover, but her prophecy had maintained the smallest spark of rebellion in the kingdom. To squash the last of those who still sought to resist her power, the White Queen would take their last hope from them all and make their strength her own.

The first Son of Adam she came across already possessed a tainted heart. He believed himself an adult, and was easy enough to charm with sugar and sweet promises. The greedy hearts of men were their downfall, and Jadis was an expert in temptation and manipulation. His mind was easily hers to do with as she pleased.

If the other children were as easy to control as he, then the prophecy would be for naught. The Red Lady's final gift to her creatures was an empty promise, and Jadis was assured of her victory over the sleeping Robecca at long last.

* * *

It was a mere tremble upon the air that awoke Aslan from his long sleep as well.

He had been dreaming, as he often did when perpetual boredom lulled him to slumber.

He dreamed that the ice shield around Narnia had dissolved and Robecca was waiting for him in a luscious green Narnia. Her arms were outstretched for him and he snuggled into her loving embrace. She sang to him a beautiful lullaby and he happily slipped off into sleep, finally at home again in her arms.

"_Aslan!"_ cried Robecca's voice to him from across the distance that separated them.

He joyously realized the call was real, not another figment of his longing heart.

"_You are well, my lady!"_ he cried jubilantly, racing on the air for Narnia. Even from his haven across the world, he could smell the humans of another world. And he could feel his strength increasing, his influence over this world returning._ "The children must be here."_

"_Yes, I sense they are near, but Jadis seeks to sink her claws into their hearts before they meet their new friends. Find them, Aslan. Protect them."_

"_Where are you, Robecca? I will free you."_

"_No, you must help them first. You know the tricks, lead them to safety, give them the means to defend themselves, and please, my dear, take care the soulless one doesn't harm you."_

The magical shield around Narnia was easy for Aslan to shatter now. Jadis did not notice right away because she was busy tempting the Son of Adam in her sleigh.

"_She has a Son of Adam!"_ Aslan called to Robecca.

And then a tidal wave of the horror and misery of the repressed creatures had suffered all these years washed over him. Their hopelessness struck his senses with a staggering force. Over the centuries, he could only speculate on the pain they endured, but now the barrier separating him from them was gone. Feeling the actual suffering of the children of Narnia, their sorrow, anger, and desperation, was more agonizing than he would have ever imagined.

His mistress weakly responded to his emotions, _"No, she can't… You must restore their hope, Aslan. Their faith will strengthen you and me."_

"_Where are you, Mistress?" _he asked again.

"_I don't know. Their presence brought me back to awareness, but I cannot awaken… I'm too weak… You must… discover my secret resting place... I will need your help. But help them first."_ Her voice faded.

"My Lady!!!" Aslan roared in his mind.

He took off around Narnia, his animal instincts getting the better of his logic. He wanted to find Robecca first. Together they could meet the children, he did not like dealing with humans on his own.

It was on his search that he saw first hand the damage the soulless Jadis had caused. The creatures struggled under the oppressive weight of not only the snow, but the terror of the wolf police, and the pressure to obey the White Queen's hated laws. Aslan's heart felt heavy with the pain they suffered, and it made him rethink his idea to see to Robecca first.

His people always came first, and they needed him now. He would not let them, or Robecca, down.

He didn't allow his passage in the world to go unnoticed; several creatures sighted him as he traversed Narnia, breaking the witch's spells and inspiring hope. The trees were already whispering about children footprints in the snow, and Aslan's presence was felt by them all. It was the ancient prophecy coming to pass at last.

The sightings of both spread quickly along the underground resistance, and the morale of the Narnians soared with renewed faith. Aslan's power soared with this optimism, and it gave him enough strength to summon Father Christmas into the realm at last.

"So it is true. The passage to Narnia has been reopened at long last," exclaimed the generous immortal to Aslan from his sleigh.

"Welcome, old friend, it has been too long, and I have the prophecy children to thank for your return," responded Aslan.

"The Pensive children. I Saw them enter this world, and suddenly, I could See all of Narnia again. Such bright children. All of them make my Nice List, save one. That Edmund likes to act out. So tragic," Saint Nicholas answered.

"Tell me what you have Seen of the children of _Pevensie_," asked Aslan kindly.

Saint Nicholas was only too happy to share the good news of the lovely children. "Lucy is the youngest daughter, always sweet, friendly, and kind to all she meets. Leading with her gentle heart on all matters and holding the family together, she is one of the most perfect children I have ever encountered.

"Edmund is the next youngest, and as I have said, he is unlike his darling siblings. I fear he has taken the wrong paths lately, but a good soul still burns bright within him. He was only added to my Naughty List recently. It is not too late to save him before his adult character is fixed forever in malice."

'_So this is the 'nobody's perfect' Robecca once mentioned,'_ thought Aslan.

"Then Susan. Sensible Susan, who takes control, always lends a motherly hand and becomes a fierce warrior if she feels her family is threatened. Her capacity for love is limitless, and you can always depend on her in a heartbeat.

"Finally, there is the firstborn son, Peter." Father Christmas paused here, gathering the impressions he had Seen of this boy and trying to put them into words.

"Brave,... noble,... polite, and protective of his family. But he... he is truly a leader. Impulsive at times, but his strength and spirit enlighten those who surround him. He... glows with kindness and sensitivity, but relies on the shining power of his family's love for strength and fortitude. He is the hero I see your Narnia needs."

Aslan nodded, absorbing the information the saint told him. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy. It was just as Robecca had claimed in her dreams, when she was looking through Peter's eyes. Four strangers with hearts of light, come to deliver Narnia from the darkness and rule with the strength of love and mercy. It was better than the Calormen, and more than Aslan could have hoped for.

"Thank you, my friend. I will not keep you from your work, but I must ask you to bestow these grateful gifts upon our worthy champions. If you will permit me the first, I will leave you to bless the rest of their Christmases in Narnia."

"I owe you, old friend, for bringing me back to this world. I could hardly deny your simple request and more," said Saint Nicholas, gathering the gifts Aslan gave him and going on his way.

'_Aslan,'_ called Robecca weakly.

'_Our people are our strength, Robecca. Their happiness and hope will restore you.'_

_'The Stone Table, Aslan. Seek shelter there. I fear we will have need of it sooner rather than the later I was hoping for,'_ she said before dropping off into oblivion again.

Aslan obeyed his mistress's wishes, walking toward the sacred place and allowing his subjects to follow under his protection. Even without commands from him, the creatures knew to spread the word that the prophecy children were to be brought to Aslan. The reign of snow was going to end at last.

The joy from the visits of Father Christmas that day allowed Aslan the power to begin chasing away the evil magic Jadis permutated the air. The four children were here, and her place as queen was already removed before any weapon or challenge was raised.

The loss of the monarch powers destabilized the magic she had reinforced. Her command of the ice, snow, and sun were gone. And Aslan stirred the life and warmth back into Narnia with a vengeance. From the protection of the Stone Table, he transferred his energy into the land and to Robecca's mysterious location.

It was an interesting piece, the Table. Robecca and Aslan had discovered it in the center of Narnia during those first ten years. Both of them knew neither of them had erected it, and the rock was older than the molecules of Narnia, so it had to have come from another world.

Robecca's reaction to the table had always puzzled Aslan. She had looked at it as if it were an old friend, chuckling in amusement to herself as she ran her hands over the old symbols adorning it.

"What is this thing, Mistress?" Aslan had asked her then.

"A gift from my brother," she had answered. "I suppose he knows we will have a use for it someday. And smug as he is, he will want to take full credit for whatever trouble it gets us out of."

Her Father's magic and her brother's blessing was in the Table, and without the Solace Tree—which Aslan had found smashed to pieces upon his return—the Table felt like the only safe place to strain the limits of his powers.

The nymphs and dryads exclaimed in happiness at the melting snow, dancing gracefully to convey the contentment. Soon the other creatures were joining in their merry-making, overcoming their fears for something to celebrate for the first time in some of their lives.

"Aslan! Aslan!" exclaimed a fawn child. "Is it true that we will be allowed to dance and sing everyday now that the children are here?"

Even the elders stopped to listen to the answer, all of them longing with a childish desire to nourish the carefree spirits they had rediscovered within themselves.

"Narnia is ours again to dance, work, and play at will," Aslan promised solemnly. The children he addressed had only known generations of fear and ice, but they would not know the paralyzing fear that haunted the Narnians in the centuries before Jadis' take-over. They could live free of that paranoia once they learned how wonderful life could be under true Sons of Adam.

_'There will be a war first,'_ Robecca commented, slipping into his mind and listening to the conversation.

_'Wars are a man's invention,'_ Aslan growled back to her, but his appearance to his audience never changed.

_'She will not yield so easily. Jadis has not spent the last millennia turning our people against us for nothing.'_

As usual, his Mistress was right. "My dears, anything worth having is worth fighting for. We first must rid our lands of poison if we hope to watch these children lead it to fruition."

"Our lands flourish already," claimed a centaur, indicating the new grass and buds around them. "Winter must know She has worn-out her welcome!"

The stirring words mirrored the thoughts of the other creatures. It had been Christmas this morning, and now the afternoon was rapidly becoming the middle of summer. With the perpetual snow vanishing before their very eyes, it was hard to believe anything was impossible for Aslan. Their liberation was nigh, and nothing the White Witch did would be able to stop it.

Aslan watched as they resumed their song and dance as he sat nobly as a proud parent. Every now and then, someone would approach him to pose a question, or swear their fealty anew, and he accepted all with kind graciousness. But mostly, he regarded their romping.

He knew he had been lonely during the years of confinement. The star sprites had been interesting enough to talk to, but they were awfully flighty creatures. He had longed for his mistress and the companionship he had gathered from their people, but he had not realized how much he had missed something as trivial as a faun's flute or a nymph's graceful dance until now. Listening to their elation and laughter filled his heart with mirth and hope for the brilliant future Robecca had envisioned.

Their high spirits fed his power, and through him, Robecca. She was now managing to stay with Aslan during several-hour intervals at a time, but even she still did not know where her body had been hidden. Reduced to her goddess essence yet again, she spent the day haunting the land of Narina and whispering her thoughts to Aslan.

All that day, the creatures and animals flocked to his side, the majesty of his presence a comfort to their jaded minds. While he concentrated on melting the snow and warming the air, this congregation pledged their loyalties anew and scurried to do his bidding.

It was late afternoon when the Faerie Queen alighted on Aslan's shoulder and whispered into his ear the secret location where his Mistress slept. Aslan thanked the little Queen, who smiled shyly and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

_'There is time to awaken you, my Lady.'_

'_No, they are almost here. You must wait for them. Now do not sulk, I shall see you before the sun sets,'_ she whispered to him affectionately.

Aslan arose from the spot he had been sitting on and addressed his surrounding creatures. "My friends, prepare yourselves. For we are about to behold our new monarchs."

There was a great rustling and shifting as all the creatures staggered to attention and tried to see from which direction the children would appear. It was not a minute more before the two beavers and three children came over the hill and within sight of the Stone Table.

From his place at the head of the assembled creatures, Aslan regarded the children Robecca had put so much faith in. They did indeed seem to be teething with spirit energy and a pureness he had not witnessed for some time. But alas, there were only three, and it was with a sinking heart that Aslan acknowledged that the souless one must have acquired the Son of Adam she had been seducing.

The eldest child approached him with a brilliant upheld sword. The Son of Adam's knees were knocking together with anxiety, but his face was resolved with a determination not to cower.

"We have come, Aslan," said the boy, and the Great Lion had to refocus his sight for a moment. The brilliant shine he thought had been coming from the silver sword, which was in fact the Sword of Truth, was actually coming from this boy, this… Peter.

The child's soul was brighter than any other soul of man Aslan had ever seen. The First King had not possessed such intensity, not even when standing beside his soul-mate, the First Queen. Indeed, this young boy shone more like a god than mortal.

Aslan's eyes alighted on the Sword of Truth, firmly gripped in the boy's fist. By rights, that Sword should be dragging along on the ground behind the Son of Adam. But the light magic within the sword called to the pure spirit in the little prince, and it joined them both like a true warrior.

Aslan had asked Father Christmas to give the sword to the older prince only in the slightest hopes that the High King might one day learn to carry it, or at least pass it along the royal bloodlines in the treasury. If the child was already wielding it with such ease, then maybe his Mistress's prophecy would not have been in vain.

In fact, nothing could have made Aslan a truer believer in the children's strengths than that Son of Adam saluting with the Sword of Truth as if it were any other common sword.

"Welcome, Peter, Son of Adam." _'High, and truly worthy, King.'_

"...But where is the fourth?..."

"...Can anything be done?..."

"...All shall be done..."

When Aslan had a moment, he pulled the Son of Adam away from the others for closer inspection. He was quite an anomaly. Aslan had thought it impossible for any mortal to possess that much spirit, but this boy somehow did without appearing unstable or mad.

Upon the hill, he pointed out to the High prince his future castle, "That is Cair Paravel of the four thrones..." The palace Aslan had once thought Robecca foolish for commissioning.

He gauged Peter's reaction, which was unexpectedly as normal as any other human boy. Peter mentally recoiled at the thought of so much responsibility, so nervous he looked ill, and frightened by the magnitude of all he had yet to learn.

For a moment, Aslan was transported back to that time so long ago when Robecca had been told she too, was to be in charge of all of Narnia. How terrified she had been. The weight of her ignorance had been crushing with its force, her face bearing a similar expression Peter bore now. They were very alike in that instance.

But before Aslan could say anything to comfort the prince, the Horn of Sagittarius was heard behind them. The older princess, the one he had asked Father Christmas to give the Horn to, was in trouble. One whiff of the air told Aslan it was the wolf police.

Like a match had been lit, the fear melted off the face of the prince, replaced with a vengeful expression. He drew the Sword, which should be making him stumble with every step, and ran swiftly toward the sound of his sister's distress call. The flame in the boy's eyes did not make anyone doubt for one moment that he would be victorious.

The creatures watched the valiant prince slay the alpha wolf and rescue his sister. Then he forsook the protocol to clean his sword and instead reached out to comfort his little sister.

Aslan was aghast at the sloppiness that any squire would have known to avoid. He opened his mouth to reproach Peter for this oversight when Robecca's shrill voice rang in his mind, _'Aslan! The lieutenant! He'll find the lost one.'_

"After him!" Aslan roared to his subjects and almost half of them ran to obey, chasing after the second wolf that had hidden during the battle.

'_Knight the little prince,'_ Robecca then urged Aslan in a warmer tone.

'_What good would that do, my Lady?'_ Aslan objected in exasperation. _'It is _you_ I should be running off to find. The wolf knows our position and soon the soulless one will too.'_

'_It is the principle, dear Aslan. The prince needs to know he has earned his title.'_

'_I suppose he did show an extraordinary amount of bravery now. Or perhaps it should be considered extreme foolishness, but I shall do it since you cannot,' _Aslan quickly added before she could object to his comment.

Once the deed was done, Aslan turned on his paw and took long purposeful strides away from the Stone Table.

"Aslan! Wait! Where are you going?" called the creatures and animals.

"Follow if you will," he called back to them. Nothing was going to stop him from reaching his mistress now. Before another misfortune befell them, he wanted her mending; never had he felt the need for her help and guidance more.

It only took a few glances between friends before several people bounded after the Lion. Most of the elderly and more disciplined choose to stay behind, knowing whatever Aslan was so determined to do would soon be common knowledge anyway.

Peter, Susan, and Lucy all looked at each other as well.

"Do you think we should go too?" asked Lucy.

"There is no way for us to keep up with the animals' pace," said Susan disappointedly. She wanted to know what Aslan was doing as badly as her brother and sister.

A winged horse set down beside the children as they looked longingly after Aslan's procession. "Your Highnesses, I am Swiftwing, and I am at your service."

Swiftwing knelt and allowed the children to scramble onto his back. Then he took to the air, keeping close to the ground so as not to make the children anxious. They were caught up to the travelling group within no time.

Aslan led the animals to a cliff above a green valley. A cluster of trees grew beside the ledge, and it was here that Aslan was headed. Swiftwing let the children down beside the trees just as Aslan and the others arrived.

Peter looked at the trees Aslan was walking to, feeling an odd sense of familiarity. "I've... I think I've been here before," Peter whispered absently to his sisters.

"You've been in Narnia, Peter?" asked Susan, but her brother was walking away. He was almost at Aslan's side when the Lion paused. He stared at the tight copse of trees. Barely a few inches separated the trunks of the trees, and the branches grew overtop each other in a close-knit weave. It was impossible to pass or even see through.

As Aslan waited, the trees suddenly moved aside, pushed by tiny little bobbing lights. The Faerie court allowed enough room for Aslan only, and then they vanished into the wind.

It was as Peter remembered: the clearing in the trees, the bed of flower petals, and... the girl in a red dress in an enchanted sleep.

Aslan stepped through the opening the faeries had created and approached the girl. Peter was close behind him, anticipation and excitement urging him to run to her side. He managed restrain himself and respectfully follow behind Aslan.

Peter looked down on the girl he had dreamt about for so long, but the expectant smile on his face faded quickly. Bitter disappointment filled him as he stepped back in abhorrence at the sight before him.

She was not the vibrant beauty of his dreams. The incredibly golden hair was actually pale yellow, unkempt, and streaked with dirt. Her skin was white in death, her face shrunken and shallow. Touched by snow for so long, her purple lips were stretched taut and bony fingers were clasped in a death-grip around a black pendant necklace on her chest.

She was dead and hideous. Whoever she had been, Peter hoped Aslan was here to finally give her a grave in this lovely resting place.

Pity. She had been about Susan's age when she died. What a dreadful shame, so young, and probably pretty too at some point, but that time was long passed.

"It's _her_, isn't it? The dreaming Red Lady." The creatures waiting outside the circle of trees whispered the news to the others behind them. It was too unfortunate they couldn't see she was already gone. Peter did not want to be the one to quell their excited exclamations.

Aslan walked to the dead girl and nudged her side with his muzzle. Then he licked the side of her face in a wet kiss.

There was a little tug on Peter's pant leg. "Is he trying to wake her up?" asked Lucy.

Peter quickly tried too late to shield his little sister's view from the gruesome body. Lucy just looked up at him curiously, awaiting an answer to her question.

"Uh, Lucy... I don't think... Lucy, she's-" but Peter stopped, because something was happening. The black pendant was glowing bright red through the girl's locked fingers. The light faded quickly and then, as Aslan licked her cheek one last time, the dead girl's eyes miraculously flickered open.

And there they were.

The deep blue eyes he had seen so many times before in his vanishing dreams. But they were not quite blue, he realized. They were green and violet and turquoise and pink all at the same time. So vibrant and brilliant,... and so more beautiful than he had ever dreamed.

They looked out of place on a body that was mostly devoid of color, but they swirled to focus on Aslan. Her lips, no longer purple but turning pink, lifted slightly in a weak smile.

A purring sound came from Aslan's throat as he nuzzled her head again. The girl's eyes fell closed and her chest rose in a deep breath. The breath was the return of life to her body, her skin turned a rosy peach and her hair turned gold like a tidalwave of sunlight was passing over it.

Peter watched as she slowly became his recognizable sunshine-girl. He held his breath and waited anxiously for what he knew would come next. She would sit up and smile with diamonds in her expression, her dazzling eyes sparkling and her laughter tinkling like a peal of bells. The dream had been breath-taking; the real thing would be a scene one would die to see.

"Come." Aslan said simply, interrupting his expectant thoughts. Pealing his eyes from the lovely girl, Peter turned to see Aslan walking away from the sleeping girl. His keen look warned Peter not to be difficult and refuse to obey him.

Before, he had felt disappointed when he thought she was dead. But now, she appeared on her way to a fast recovery. He could not help but feel thwarted to being pulled away from her again so soon. Here he was, finally in the clearing he had seen so often in his dreams, the dream-girl within his reach, and he was being asked to leave.

"The High Queen will join us soon," Aslan added to spur him to move.

It was with drudging feet that Peter was able to follow Aslan out of the clearing, casting one longing glance over his shoulder at the rejuvenated sunshine-girl.

* * *

"_Just repeat my words to him,"_ Robecca told Aslan wearily.

The younger prince had been returned by the creatures Aslan had sent after the second wolf. The boy now stood with a fallen chin before her darling Aslan, remorse and guilt tearing away at his heart as much as the wilting seed of evil had. When Aslan had been confronted with his pitiful despair, he had reached out to her for guidance.

Now that her body had been awakened, all Robecca longed to do was rest peacefully and allow the spirit of the world to restore her strength and magic. Things would be so much more manageable when she would be able to confront a problem in person.

Alas, the ills of her world did not allow her the respite that would bring her limbs and mind back to full function. She still had to concern her mind with the new issues that kept arising from every direction.

"_A firm, but encouraging tone now..."_ she continued, and then proceeded to tell Aslan the words that would call to the spirit within the boy.

While Aslan delivered her speech, Robecca took the time to examine the contents of Edmund's soul.

This Son of Adam had all the potential and greatness she had sensed in his older brother, but he did not harbor the shining pureness or the awe-inspiring soul. Except for that glimmering radiance, however, there was very little the princes did not have in common. Like two halves of a whole, they each possessed the traits the other lacked. These differences might lead to the frequent butting-of-heads, but it was obvious to anyone that they needed each other in order to succeed.

She had been right to make Peter the leader, despite his stubborn streak. It was Edmund's acute perspective of tactic that had gotten him on the wrong track in the first place. Edmund was cunning while Peter was charismatic. Edmund was intelligent and analytical, but others would rally to his side when Peter called. Now that they were both more aware of their short-comings, a perfect symbiotic relationship seemed to be in the making.

Watching Edmund rejoin his siblings with warm welcomes was deeply gratifying. Aslan let her see the homecoming through his eyes, and she could not help but regret that she could not shed joyful tears.

"_I need to rest now, Aslan."_ She started drifting back to her body, for what she felt was a well-deserved rest, when the leopards and the dwarf appeared to bring Jadis' message.

"_Should I let her through?"_ Aslan questioned Robecca.

"_Yes,"_ Robecca acknowledged reluctantly, for she feared she knew what was coming, and the gravity of it shook off all her dreariness.

The White Witch came and made her claim against Edmund. Aslan tried to stall while Robecca's mind raced for a solution.

What could she do? Nothing could prevent this! As much as she hated to admit it, Jadis spoke true...

Well, there was... but did they really need to resort to such desparate measures? There had to be something else. Unfortunately, she kept returning to the one tactic she had hoped to avoid at all costs.

"_Mistress? What do you say?"_ Aslan asked her trustingly, so certain she would have a remedy that would make the Witch's claim unjustified.

"_Lead her away from the others, my Aslan. They do not need to hear,"_ she said in an ancient voice that sent chills through Aslan.

"_What are you planning to do, Robecca?"_ he demanded as the others withdrew.

She could not afford to lose the Son of Adam. _Narnia_ could not afford it. Not now. Not after all the waiting, when they were finally so close to casting the soulless one off her throne.

"_The Stone Table,"_ she answered softly. _"The boy has given into evil, and any dark energy in this world was not of our making. Only Jadis has ever inserted evil into our lovely world, so all of it inevitably belongs to her as her responsibility. Even if the evil comes from another world."_

"_Then how are you going to forgo the laws of the Stone Table?"_

"_You know my Father's magic is the ultimate law of every world, and there is no way to not abide by the blood payment," _she skirted around the truth. Personally, Robecca was resolving herself for the sacrifice she could not ignore, and prayed for the strength to endure what was to come.

"The Red Lady is here, isn't she?!" Jadis suddenly demanded. "I knew that brat had to be the one pulling your strings, Aslan. Tell Robecca that she must surrender the boy's soul to me. Her Father would not appreciate another one of his Laws broken."

Aslan growled at her, his jowls lifting from his sharp teeth. "You can't have the boy's life, Witch! Robecca will never allow it!" he said in utmost confidence. He still believed in his Lady's will, even though what she described seemed hopeless.

"Even she cannot betray the Laws while in exile-"

"I know Robecca better than anyone else. She _can_ and _will_ protect the boy at all costs. And then, she will destroy everything you have built," Aslan interrupted. "Nothing you created will shield you from her manifested power. And once your allies are running for their lives and your armies are broken, she will come after you!" he steamed, feeling all the resentment and frustration of twenty centuries come pouring out of him.

His outburst seemed to scare and enrage Jadis beyond speech.

Robecca felt humbled by his passionate defense, and it made all she had to tell him even harder to say. But she was determined to protect Edmund and Narnia no matter the consequences.

"_Aslan, tell Jadis that I will meet her before midnight... at the Stone Table."_

Even Jadis noticed Aslan's eyes widen in horror and denial at the soundless declaration.

"_My Lady, y-you can't mean to-"_

"_It is the only way, Aslan. My body is still too weak to be of much use, but at least I can give this last gift to our precious world. I can muster just enough strength to walk the distance, so I beg you not to accompany me to this fate. With any luck, it will not be so painful."_

"_And how are we supposed to vanquish the soulless one without you?!"_ he demanded angrily. His fear for his mistress was fast turning to fury.

"_Do not despair, my dear. There is an escape to this binding, if I am willing to go completely through with it, a tiny piece of rumored legend my brother once told me. I must meet this trial alone and without reservation, or else be lost to the living realm. It will not be so horrible Aslan, only a little spell spent in the next world and then I'll be back at your side,"_ she tried to encourage him.

"_Are you sure it will work, Robecca? Completely certain?"_

"_Of course not, but it is better than the alternative. I will bear whatever burden I must for this world. After abandoning Narnia for the last two centuries, it is my undeniable duty to do so. I'm ready to do this, Aslan. Just protect the children until I return. I still want to be able to meet them sometime tomorrow."_

Aslan did not respond to Robecca. As he listened and absorbed what she told him, he himself was resolving a decision.

Above everything else in existence, he trusted Robecca. And his mistress was ready to give her mortal life in faith that she could overcome death. Faith. What he had asked of her ever since they ventured onto this task. There was little he could do but believe in her convictions, even unto death.

"Jadis," Aslan finally said. "The Laws require the spill of a mortal life's blood for the transgression against Robecca's will, but there is another alternative for the blood of a mere Son of Adam. Holier blood that my mistress hopes you will consider."

The Witch was obviously intrigued and indicated for Aslan to go on explaining. He concentrated on twisting his words to the outcome he desired, and hoped that his mistress would forgive him.

"Robecca is weak, but she still lives and hopes to regain her strength so she may eradicate your presence from this world. However, she is willing to give herself in place for her young prince."

For the second time in a matter of minutes, Jadis was rendered speechless.

"Robecca lacks the strength of new-born kitten, she can barely perceive her surroundings in her present state. But nonetheless, she will nobly forgo her recovery to keep the Son of Adam from your damnation."

Then Aslan began to speak almost absentmindedly. "It will not be a major change for her, one endless sleep for another. I doubt she will feel your blade pierce her heart. Then I will challenge you, Witch, and I will never rest until I have avenged my Mistress."

"You, Aslan?" Jadis gave what could have been a thoughtful chuckle. "You have no grounds to challenge me."

The Witch paused as she considered Aslan's words. It almost seemed too glorious an offer to turn down. Robecca at her mercy (not that she would have any), suffering and pleading while the White Queen choose any torture she pleased. The idea was delicious.

But the lion had claimed the Red Lady too weak to move. As much as she wanted to finally be rid of the High Queen, watching and relishing her suffering suddenly seemed so much more important. Robecca was hardly more than a meager Daughter of Eve anymore, hardly a challenge for the powerful Jadis.

What better way to trounce the impertinent child than draining her of all _she_ had created and loved? And she knew the surest way to break the High Queen's heart.

"Whilst dreaming of your grand victory over me, Robecca will pass easily from this realm, leaving you and the children to defend it? No Aslan, I think not. I don't accept the Red Lady's alternative," she said maliciously.

"_No! She must! Aslan you must convince-"_ Robecca called in alarm.

"But I will accept _your_ surrender in her place, Aslan," Jadis finished.

"Done!" Aslan roared, satisfied the Witch had played right into his trap.

"_No! No! Aslan, no! What have you done?!"_ Robecca screamed in his head as Jadis ran away.

* * *

Aslan tried to ignore Robecca as he gathered the children and the rest of the procession and led them to Beruna. The rest of the day, Robecca continued to rail and plead and cry, making Aslan feel even more depressed.

He distracted himself with counseling Peter about the upcoming battles, taking precautionary measures in case Robecca's loophole proved untrue. As much as Robecca had been willing to believe in it, he could not help but feel terribly apprehensive for the bargain he had made.

"_Then go back to Jadis and make her accept the original plan!" _Robecca screeched in response to his doubtful thoughts. _"Never mind, I'll do it myself."_ And she flew back to her body, trying to coax enough energy from her heavy limbs to get up.

"_Stay where you are, Robecca. What difference does it make if it is you or me who yields to the Deep Magic? You need the time to regain your strength."_ But he did not sound as assured as he hoped.

"_I will not allow you to give your life in my place! Understand?! I _forbid_ you from going tonight to that Table!"_ She tried again to move her lifeless human body, but all she managed besides opening her eyes was a few foot twitches.

"_Please stop fighting this, my Lady. It is hard enough already," _Aslan begged her quietly.

Robecca abruptly stopped scolding him. She cursed Jadis, Tash, the situation, her incapacity, and stopped herself from cursing Edmund (such damnation from a goddess could actually prove fatal), then she proceeded to find any way to soothe Aslan's worries.

"_It was still extremely foolish of you, my darling. This was my risk to take_," she could not help adding. _"I would have spared you all this fear."_

And he was afraid, she knew that, but she was more terrified than him a hundredfold. How was she supposed to go on in this world if he actually passed out of it?

"_That is precisely what I felt, my Lady. I think if either of us gets the chance to escape this prison, I am entitled to the opportunity."_ He added that last part scornfully, but she knew he did not mean it. He was just lashing out in fear and anger.

"_Everything will work out, Aslan. Tomorrow we will laugh about our present misgivings."_ She did not know who needed the convincing more, him or herself.

They were gambling Aslan's existence in this realm on an unaccountable rumor. How could she greet the stranger children with the dreadful news that the lion they already loved was dead? Could she really even live with herself if he did not come back?

"_I will never leave you or this world, Robecca. If this does not work, then I will simply be the one to whisper in your ear instead,"_ he said sadly. There was nothing more he wanted than to be reunited with his mistress. He had already waited so long, and now there was a chance he would not embrace her again for probably few more thousand lifetimes.

"_We will see each other tomorrow. It _will_ work,"_ Robecca tried again to reassure them both.

When it grew dark, both knew in unspoken agreement that it was time for Aslan to make his way back to the Stone Table, and to his death.

"_Be strong, my darling,"_ she encouraged him when he stumbled on the first step.

"_I do not know if I can make it,"_ he admitted softly.

"_Then I'm going instead."_ But it was doubtful if her weak body would make it to the Table in time now that it had grown this late.

"_No! I promised I would do this. It would not be wise to compromise a deal made with Deep Magic."_ And he forced himself to take several steps toward his destination.

How Robecca longed to reach out and comfort him! Her formless presence seemed so inadequate when he was struggling to walk to his doom to save her.

Desperate, she darted around the surroundings, trying to find something that would alleviate some of his distress.

The answer came in form of the young princesses, both of them lying awake in troubled tumults. It was not even with that much suggestive effort that she influenced them to leave their tent to find Aslan in his torment.

As soon as he detected their presence he asked Robecca to return them to their beds.

"_Take comfort in their sweet embraces since I cannot grant it myself_," she asked of him. _"Do this little thing to lessen my guilt. I'll see no harm will come to them."_

Aslan highly doubted that Robecca would dare put these children in any danger after the strenuous cost it had taken to finally get them to Narnia. He could do little less than accept the only gift of comfort she could provide him.

I was the girls' will and Robecca's encouraging words that managed to get him to the Stone Table. He left the princesses safely out of sight and proceeded on to his demise.

The number of creatures at the Table astounded Robecca. She had not realized how much of a following Jadis had acquired. Her resolve remained steady, however, for Aslan's sake.

As the hideous forms bound and harassed him, she filled his mind with their happy memories, keeping his terror at bay. Crooning to him lovingly, Aslan barely heard Jadis threat to destroy Edmund despite his sacrifice.

"_I love you, darling Aslan. I shall see you _soon_,"_ Robecca managed to whisper, choking on the last word, as the soulless one plunged her knife downward.

She felt it the moment he was gone. The spark of his life extinguished from her perception. She could not sense him at all, and suddenly, all her assurances and hope vanished as well.

"_Aslan!!!!"_ she screamed. But there was no answer, he no longer heard her.

_Nooooooooooo!!!!!!_

Her lifelong companion, her best friend, the most prized treasure of her goddess' heart...

He was truly gone! And she was truly alone.

It was always his love and infallible faith in her that had always gotten her through every plight of her existence. Her punishment, to live a mortal life outside of time, was unbearable to even consider without Aslan beside her.

Instinctually, she tried to follow him into the next world, but of course, the bonds of her penalty denied her that goddess liberty. It did not stop her from straining with all her might to make it so.

"Aslan! Aslan!" She tried to call out with her mind, but was only met with silence. She cast about for him, searching for his essence, going every direction at the same time.

By the grey of dawn, she was thinly stretched over the whole world, closer to insanity than any immortal had ever been.

Vaguely she felt Marcusolani touch her with his warmth as he came over the horizon, and then there was a sharp thunderbolt as her Father's magic resounding throughout the world. The deep boom left invisible ripples in the air, but the powerful repercussions snapped the pieces of Robecca's dissolving mind back in place.

Then, miracle of all miracles, his voice! Calling timidly out to her.

"_Robecca?"_

"_Here, Aslan, I'm here!"_ she responded, quickly following the glorious sound of her angel.

"_I made it?"_ he sounded surprised, and more joyous than he had in a long time.

"_Yes, my dear, you did."_ Choking on the words, she embraced his mind, both of them relieved beyond mortal measure. _"Did you ever believe for a second that you would not?"_ she laughed helplessly.

"_Of course not, Robecca. I had your faith."_

The princesses cried the tears she could not into Aslan's mane.

"_Now, return to your body and concentrate on recuperating_," Aslan ordered her. _"I will not go one more day without seeing you up and about."_

"_Yes, Aslan. Whatever you say, Aslan,"_ she teased happily.

Her Aslan had come back from the dead, and he was using his newfound powers from the resurrection to free those still imprisoned by the White Queen. Anything seemed possible this day, a day of miracles.

It was more incredible than anything she had spent the last centuries dreaming of.

Peter

There did not seem to be any end to the enemy. The moment he struck one down, three more took its place. He knew they could not last much longer. His new subjects had fought long and hard, but with the Witch's wand, he doubted there was any chance of victory today.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom erupted behind him. He turned to see his little brother, conceited little Edmund, staring down with the Queen at two halves of the wand.

The Queen recovered from the shock first, plunging a concealed dagger into Edmund's middle. With heart-breaking terror, Peter watched his brother crumple to the ground.

And the prince's anger erupted.

He sprang at the Witch with his upraised Sword, his vision taking on a reddish shade. She barely had time to lift her dagger in a parry to his strike. The two blades locked together, and their faces met with barely a few inches separation.

Jadis stared deeply into the blue eyes of the Son of Adam, her supposed successor, and perceived the burning white fire of his soul. She felt a disturbing chill of fear, because for a moment, she believed the fierce eyes before her were the very eyes of the High Queen Robecca. They seared her just as deeply and rivaled her own determination, but then they became the gaze of the boy again and she shook off the unsettling feeling.

The Witch unlocked their blades and raised her blade to strike down Robecca's prince.

Peter proved more agile than she gave him credit. He easily parried her thrusts and caught her crimpling blows. The sword in his hand moved fluidly, and responded to his will as if he had been wielding a sword all his life.

They came apart for a moment, Peter gasping in exhaustion, but raising his sword again to meet the dagger that was coming at him. However, the smaller blade in the Witch's hand aimed low and wrapped around the hilt of the Sword. With a wrenching twist, the Queen flung the Sword out of his grip. The force of her move knocked him to the ground several feet away.

Dazed, but acting on instinct, Peter pulled a small knife of his own from the belt at his waist, and then turned blindly to look for the Witch. He did not even bother to try to get up from his knees. His reeling head protested any attempt to rise too quickly would result in an extreme wave of dizziness that might cost him his life.

Suddenly, a deafening roar distracted everyone fighting in the valley. All of them turned to the west passage where Aslan and his party from the castle were charging.

The welcome sight was like a wave of warm hope through Peter's tired body. Glancing back to the Witch, he saw her turn, if possible, even whiter at the sight of Aslan. With a disgruntled yelp, she raised her knife to again plunge it down into Peter's throat.

But she was knocked sideways by a blur of golden fur.

Peter watched the lion and the witch tumble away. He staggered to his feet in some indistinct urge to help Aslan, but was forced to crouch down again as a heavy case of vertigo threatened to blacken his sight. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the dots swirling before his eyes and see what was happening.

The Queen somehow escaped Aslan grip, her left shoulder and arm streaked with bloody gashes. But she had left a mark on Aslan as well, managing to get her knife into his mouth and cutting open the side. It must have been that extra space that allowed her to get her arm out of his jaws.

They did not stay parted for long. Aslan raised his claws and the Queen her knife, and they flew at each other.

"STOP!!!" A loud voice echoing over the valley interrupted what would have been their clash. The magic in the command made every single mortal on the field freeze in mid-motion.

Aslan too, rolled to the side at the last split-second, helpless to obey the order. The Queen tumbled forward, but was back on her feet quickly.

A ringing silence descended on the field as all the noise stopped at once. Both sides of the opposing armies withdrew from their current attacks. Upraised blades, spears, jowls, claws, all poised to strike, were sheathed and covered.

Their feet were frozen to the ground by the unseen magic. The creatures glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. Turning to their respectful leaders, Aslan and Jadis, they found the interrupted pair fixated on some distant point.

Peter, somehow instinctually, had known exactly where to look when the voice had called out. He was now watching a red glowing figure descending the straight wall of the valley with inhuman speed. With a startling realization, he noticed the ledge was exactly the same cliff where the sunshine-girl had lain in the cluster of trees.

He had no doubt that the figure rapidly approaching was the girl he had seen sleeping in the very same trees. His heart sped up in expectation, preparing to, at long last, behold the beautiful smiling girl of his dreams.

But it was not so. The woman gliding over the ground toward Aslan and Jadis was older than the girl he had seen asleep the other day. She could almost be ten years older than him. She was certainly taller than him, probably eye-level with the witch. Her golden hair hung down her back in a long braid, and her red dress was more modest and no longer filmy silk.

However, it was her eyes that convinced him this was not the cheerful girl he had come to know in his dreams. They were the color of a turbulent sea, stormy and vicious, resolved to claim the lives of foolish mortal sailors who dared to think they could challenge her. Her mouth might have been a grim line of disproval, but it was her eyes that seemed to radiate a tempest of hatred, anger, power, and death.

And her eyes were unwaveringly trained on the Witch.

This was truly the Red Lady, High Queen and guardian of all Narnia and the rest of the world. A goddess in her full power out for the demise of her ancient nemesis.

If the creatures had been quiet before, it was only due to their confusion. But once they saw the legendary Red Lady, their silence took on a mood of disbelieving awe and respect. They might have fallen to their knees as she glided pass them, but either due to magic or astonishment, they could do little more than watch her quick and graceful passage in hushed memerization.

She slowed only once to pick something from the ground, and Peter saw with humiliation that it was his sword in the place where the Witch had thrown it. Then she was moving pass him, never breaking eye contact with the White Witch, but she said ever-so-softly, "I need to borrow this."

Peter was hardly going to argue with her.

The lady continued on to Jadis and Aslan. Peter noticed that even though time seemed to have slowed while he watched her cross the plain, it could not have been more than ten seconds it took her to walk the nearly half mile distance.

She halted in front of the witch. Her back was to him, but if the witch's face was any indication, the expression she wore had to be horrible.

"This is my fight, Aslan." Even though the newcomer spoke as quietly as she had when she addressed Peter, he could still hear her words from across the distance.

Aslan dipped his head and backed up, bowing out of the fight. His face wasn't visible, so it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Then the two women were left alone in the middle of the valley. The White Queen and the Red Lady.

Side by side, their differences couldn't be greater. Robecca glowed with all the bright colors of the vitality in life and growing things, while Jadis was black and white with the deadend power of those long expired from existence.

Slowly, both of them circled each other, the air between them more electric and tense than a thunderstorm. Their steps were long and calculated, neither letting the other gain an inch of advantage. Completely equal, but in every way different.

Day and night. Light and dark. Life and death.

"So you are awake at last, goddess," Jadis couldn't help but snarl. Her opponent since the beginning of Narnia's birth stood across from her at last, and she was itching terribly to kill her, but she wanted at least some recognition from this grating nuisance. She wanted her to acknowledge that she, Jadis, was the superior.

Not to mention the chance to gibe her. "You hid yourself away from your duties and people all these years, letting mere children do your dirty work. And now you want to assume your role as their sovereign? What makes you think any of these people trust you anymore?"

"I never aspired to be anyone's sovereign. This land will be ruled by the Sons of Adam, as it was always meant to be, and everything you ever held claimed to will be cast out of this world's memory forever." Robecca's grip on the Sword of the Truth flexed slightly, but she was determined not to be the first to draw her weapon.

Jadis let her own dagger continue to dangle at her side. "I am not the one being punished here, goddess. You will never totally defeat me; I have left a deeper impact on this realm than you could ever imagine. How do you expect to keep your pitiful threats against my authority? You do not even have the proper power. Just admit it, I am the rightful Queen for this world."

Robecca did not rise to the bait. "I told you once long ago, Jadis, that my world would never belong to you, and I intend to see to it that your tentative grasp breaks this day," Robecca swore spitefully.

It was the conviction in the child's voice that made the soulless Witch finally strike. Robecca easily deflected the first blow. But what happened next, none of the witnesses could ever say for sure.

Both women flew at each other with their weapons raised, then disappeared into a hazy cloud of color. A white blur clashed with a red blur, glittering with the flashing blades moving too fast to follow. Both of them spinning and weaving around each other. The crashing blurs were accompanied by exploding chunks of dirt that were hurled into the air and across the field. Indeed, the whole ground shook during some of the thunderclap blows coming from the fighting.

None of the onlookers even felt like fighting each other anymore. The future of Narnia was at stake, and it all came down to the outcome of this duel.

The battle was actually over fairly quickly for all the anticipation and millenias-long build-up. A silver glimmer erupted from the smudges of color and stuck upright in the dirt two hundred feet away. It was the witch's dagger, and the hazy picture was visibly settling to reveal Robecca standing over a kneeling Jadis.

The Sword of Truth was sluicing through the air for the killing blow, but Jadis pulled a concealed vial from her robes and simultaneously flung her head back, throwing the contents of the vial down her throat. As Robecca's Sword descended, Jadis disappeared.

The place she had knelt was now occupied by a large dusty-white dragon, its head still thrown back toward the sky.

Every creature in the valley cowered and took what little cover they could. The dragon was a hundred feet tall, and it seemed to still be growing. Its talons were already the size of a centaur.

A shower of fire poured from the sky as the dragon breathed down upon the place where it had last perceived Robecca. Through the cloud of disturbed dust, everyone saw the red blur become engulfed in the ball of flames.

The massive bonfire died away quickly, probably due to whatever Aslan seemed to be doing from his unwavering post at the sidelines. Several lifetimes of seconds passed for the children of Narnia as they searched the smoke and remaining fire for Robecca.

Peter felt like his heart was pounding in his throat, but just as he was about to take the running steps toward the inferno, a white light erupted out of the center. Robecca flew out of the blaze, carried on a pair of immense swan-like wings.

The skirt of her dress was mostly burned off, but her skin and hair were still as radiant as ever. Rising into the sky on the white wings, she looked like an avenging angel. Her lifted Sword caught the sun, making it appear like it was in flames itself.

She sped away from the ground, flying higher than the dragon's head. Robecca didn't stop, but kept ascending until she was out of sight.

The Jadis dragon didn't wait that long. It leapt into the air after her, spreading its ugly bat wings and spouting fire as it climbed after her.

Peter craned his neck all the way back, shielding his eyes from the sunlight and the falling ash, trying to spot the airborne battle. The frequent long trails of fire against the blue sky was the only indication that the fight was still going on. The clashing blows still echoed across the walls of the valley even from high above, the air vibrations now almost painful to the ears of the on-lookers.

Again, it wasn't even a few minutes of battle before the entire sky exploded in a supernova, flashing orange and red streaks across the blue sky. Huge fireballs hurled toward the earth like meteors, only to dissolve into black ash before they touched the ground.

Then a shooting star flew out from the center of the dust and fire cloud from the nova. It dived downward and sank deeply into the ground, clearing the surroundings of the ash cloud. The glowing shooting star turned out to be Peter's own Sword, the Sword Robecca had been using, but there was no sign of Robecca anywhere.

For several tense minutes, no one spoke as the sounds of the explosions faded. The falling remains lessened and the air cleared enough that the valley was visble again. But no one dared hope that it was over, not when the desired outcome would be too high a price to bear.

Peter looked skyward again, searching frantically, and noticed a large bright red spark lightly floating down. It came down beside the Sword of Truth and hovered there for a moment. Then in another flash of red light, it turned into Robecca, fully clothed in a new red dress and her gold hair hanging in ringlets. Not even a smudge of soot marred her perfect face.

Slowly she opened her eyes, and they were no longer the color of a bloodthirsty sea. They were a glowing sky-blue. She blinked once, then her eyes darted around, searching with an almost desperate longing. Finally, they fell on Aslan, still maintaining the same position he had retreated to at the beginning of the fight.

As they beheld each other for the first time in centuries, they could barely move an inch, then a sob escaped her throat. The realization that Jadis was finally gone, that they and Narnia were rid of her evil influence forever, washed over them like a unrestricted breath of spring air.

Robecca smiled. And all the troubles and miseries of the world vanished from the memories of everyone watching.

"Aslan!" she called out joyfully in sing-song voice. Robecca opened her arms wide and ran two steps toward him.

The massive lion leapt across the space separating them in a single bound, shrinking to the size of a kitten the moment Robecca's arms closed around him.

For a moment, they held still, savoring the overwhelming relief that assailed them. Then Robecca spun in a circle, cradling her Aslan close to her bosom. Her musical laugh expressing all her triumph, reprieve, and happiness swirled around them.

All the creatures that had scampered away during the battle heard the wonderful music and crept back, confirming with each other that the White Witch was dead at last. It was truly a glorious day of victory and freedom. None of them could feel any trace of fear or sadness, especially while they listened to the goddess laugh.

Robecca's Diamond Smile was working its mysterious magic. The sun was suddenly shining brighter than ever before, the remaining ash in the air was blown away, flowers and plants were pushing out of the ground beneath their feet, and the colors of the world were the most vibrant anyone present had ever seen. All the world was aglow as it attempted to match the beauty and splendor that was a goddess' smile.

And in the midst of the paradise blooming around Narnia's liberated children, a girl was relishing in her ecstatic reunion with her beloved friend. Curiously, by the time she finished spinning in mirth, she again appeared to be at an age similar to Susan.

She cuddled the tiny Aslan kitten, pressing butterfly kisses to his head while he licked her chin affectionatly. It was a truly touching scene to anyone who would be watching, but it was so much more because it was the joy between immortals.

Eventually, the others watching moved away to tend to the wounded and the dead, leaving Aslan and Robecca alone to shed their happy tears.

"Your Highness?" a centaur asked a bemused Peter, unleashing him out of his transfixion with the scene before him. "Are you injured?"

Peter responded he was not. Getting to his feet after being thrown during the mesmerizing battle, he dismissed the centaur's worries.

By the time he looked back to Robecca and Aslan, the Red Lady was looking directly at him. Her piercing blue eyes held him in place as she regarded him with interest and confusion, still clutching the tiny Aslan to her chest. She whispered something into his mane and the cat turned to nod his head up at her.

Then the girl began walking toward him.

The rest of the world vanished for Peter, his vision tunneling to focus on the pair of blue eyes. He knew people were running around, that there must be a lot of noise coming from them, and even a few had stopped to watch what was unfolding, but Peter did not notice any of it.

All that existed for him was the fact that the more-glorious-than-possible girl had finally fixed her attention on him. And she was coming his way.

And she was so beautiful that it hurt to look at her.

Suddenly, he was so nervous he could not breathe. She was a _goddess_, for goodness' sake. Powerful and extremely dangerous, as she had just demonstrated. She had survived a magical sleep for who knew how many years by some strange means, and she treated the mighty Aslan as if he were a tame kitten.

How was he supposed to be worthy of her presence?

How would she ever see him as any more than a young boy who could barely hold his own against a witch she had struck down with such little effort?

But suddenly it was too late to be worried. The girl stopped right in front of him. Up close, he could see the unnatural blue that was her eyes. He truly could not get used to their vibrancy. They seemed to jump right out of their sockets and delve right into the depths of his soul.

Peter had to drop his gaze as he sank to his knee with one hand pressed to his heart.

"My Lady Robecca," he said respectfully. "It truly is a pleasure."

He didn't dare breathe as he waited. He was desperate to hear what she would say.

A graceful hand, with skin as soft and white as a dove, curled a dainty finger under his chin. His head was lifted back up and he was forced to look at her heavenly face again. Her finger didn't let his face go, but kept pulling until he had no choice but to rise to his feet again. She dropped her hand the moment he was upright.

He gazed curiously at her once they were both almost eye level again. She was several inches shorter than him, and a few years younger again. But he couldn't be sure if her appearance would be any indication of her age.

She returned his intent gaze. Then, still holding Aslan with one hand, she reached for the side of her dress with her free hand and proceeded to shock the reason out of him. She swept _him_ a deep curtsey.

"No my prince, the pleasure is all mine," she said in her musical voice. Her head bowed reverently as she knealt at his feet, and she did not move until he tentatively bid her to rise.

She stood again, her Diamond Smile dazzling him with its full effect.

"You are more that I ever dreamed about," she whispered in tearful amazement.

* * *

Yes, I realize I have not finished the book, but it seemed like a good place to cut off.

I love action, especially battle scenes where the opponents get to perform awesome manuevers or risk their lives for someone else. That part was totally worth the paraphrasing I had to do of the book.

So remember, I have a lazy streak a mile long. I need reviews that kick me in the pants. It's the only way y'all get the next chapter!

LOLZ! Well, Happy Easter everyone and thanks for reading and being patient beyond the limits of human capability for waiting for the next chapters.


	8. Chapter 8 Altered Rules

**Sooo, this chapter really got away from me. I read through it and really don't like this beginning bit. There is a lot I need to address during this book (LWW), and I really don't have any clear outline for it all, so it all sounds like the idea-spewing I do when I write a paper. I didn't even realize it was this length, I thought I had so much more space to write more... oh well.**

**Ok, I'm going to say this now because I might forget later. I LOVE William Moseley to pieces (socutesocutesocutesocute) but his character in the movies is so timid at first, and then he's just an arrogant jerk in PC. Like come on, you fall in love with the book version Peter because he's young and confident and charismatic... phew, so sexy. **

**So yes, this fanfic is book-based. I reference the series a lot, probably more than I should. And I've been rereading a lot of the books, so I'm sorry if the style has become as vague and similar as CS Lewis'. **

**Well, Jack gets the credit, as usual.**

* * *

Lucy flopped onto the bed she had just been told was hers. "Oh, how wonderfully bouncy and soft it is!" she exclaimed, getting to her knees to hop lightly across the mattress.

Susan appeared in the doorway of the closet, holding a bundle of lacy dresses encrusted with precious stones in her arms. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

She held up one dress then another to Lucy's frame. "Why, Lu, I do believe all these clothes are exactly your size."

"How are you settling in?" asked a melodic voice from the bedroom entrance. Both princesses turned to see Robecca against the doorframe, standing for the first time since they met her without Aslan clutched in her arms.

The girls stood up and respectfully bowed their heads. "It's wonderful, Your Majesty," said Susan.

Robecca's answer was a scoff as she flounced across the room and plopped onto the bed. "My name is Robecca, and protocol isn't followed amongst friends. Go on and sit."

Susan and Lucy climbed hesitantly onto the blanket with her.

"How do you like your room?" Robecca asked Lucy.

"It's lovely," Lucy answered at once, looking around at the large space trimmed in forest green and filled with comfy chairs and a small vanity. "Although I wish it were violet," she said absently.

"Hush Lucy," said Susan quickly.

"But you said yourself that green was your favorite color." She looked at Robecca to explain. "My favorite color is violet."

"What type of violet?" Robecca asked, not looking at all offended.

"Like… like the clouds in the east during sunset in summer."

The bedspread they were sitting on was blooming a stain of lavender even as she spoke. The draperies, bed curtains and carpet took on similar shades until the entire room, that had been bright green mere seconds ago, was now trimmed in blue-violet.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lucy exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she looked around the new surroundings.

"And your room shall be green," Robecca told Susan, smiling brilliantly.

"Oh, thank you, Robecca. So much." Susan bowed her head a little in gratitude. As she was lifting it, her eye caught the red gleam of the pendant around Robecca's neck.

"Oh my, what a beautiful necklace," Susan remarked, staring at the large ruby. She wondered how she had missed it on Robecca before. It was a very obvious piece. Even though it was lying against Robecca's bright red dress, it still stood out in its diamond outline.

"Thank you," Robecca replied, touching the stone and watching Susan closely, but the girl had no trouble turning her head away when she heard a sound at the door.

The boys were standing in the doorway with Mr. Tumnus, looking around Lucy's room.

"Say Lu, wasn't this room green when we first saw it?" asked Edmund, stepping further into the room with Peter right behind him.

They were both wearing pristine new tunics and shiny boots. Their hair was brushed and their faces washed clean. They must have been using the accommodations in their own rooms.

"Looking sharp, are they not?" asked Mr. Tumnus when he saw the girls regarding the boys' new appearance.

"Oh come Lucy, we must get dressed too," said Susan, holding up the dresses she had set on the bedspread and trying to decide which one would look best on her little sister.

Robecca and Lucy gave nearly identical groans and fell onto the pillows of the bed in unison.

"Must we?" asked Lucy.

"Yes, must we? Edmund looks like he's going to wiggle right out of his new clothes," Robecca whined along with her.

Edmund quit fiddling with the cuff sleeve. It wasn't particularly itchy, he just was not used to wearing this style of clothes and it still felt awkward.

"I do not believe your majesties will be needed for anything else this evening, but I shall report to Aslan, nonetheless," said Mr. Tumnus, and quickly took his leave.

"Then we have hours to fill," commented Edmund.

Robecca jumped up suddenly. "I have an idea. Let's go explore the beach! Then it won't matter if we wear nice things or not," she announced.

The other children looked at her incredulously.

"B-But... won't anyone miss us?" asked Lucy.

Robecca smiled and the sunlight in the room increased. "I believe you have all deserved a little free time. Besides, we have yet to greet the merfolk. Come along."

So the four children found themselves following Robecca down a back stairway. The door at the bottom of the stairs opened onto the beach at the foot of the castle. It did not take long for the children to remove their footwear and wade into the waters.

The merfolk were not visible, but Robecca told them they would come once they heard them splashing about. It was all the encouragement Edmund and Lucy needed to inspire a water fight. The older children exclaimed in false terror and returned fire. Soon they were trading off running from each other and attacking amidst squeals of delight.

Sometime during the excitement, Robecca trudged out of the water to the beach to catch her breath. She was still regaining her mortal strength and was disappointed that she tired so easily. This was the most fun she had had in a while, even counting her life before her enchanted sleep.

Wiping some of the water from her face, she listened to the laughter coming from the children and felt another wave of tender affection for them. In many instances, she appeared to be similar their age, but her aching limbs were proof enough that she was far from that. Many lifetimes had passed before her eyes, making her older beyond the years of her body. Her goddess' memories were hazy, but it was obvious she felt every mortal year weighing upon her.

Nonetheless, her sore legs and arms felt wonderful. It meant that she was alive, awake again after wasting so many years in oblivion.

Feeling the soft sand under her, and letting if fall through her sifted fingers, seemed like the greatest pleasure in the world. She didn't realize how much she had missed her mortal body while trapped in her goddess essence. Smelling the sea breeze and feeling the oncoming evening wind were a delight to her awakened senses.

Indeed, she felt like she was being born anew after her long sleep. Her memories of her life before seemed just as cloudy and unreal, like a dream she had been passing through, as her goddess life. Now she was feeling all the joys of living and appreciating them for the first time.

Or maybe she was finally falling under the spell of wonder that mortal life was casting upon her. But as a Daughter of Eve, it truly did not matter what else she did or did not enjoy while living this life. Robecca was resolved to never take for granted the simple pleasures of mortal life again during the rest of her sentence.

While she sat on the sand bar, contemplating her new position and watching the others continue to frolic, Peter made his way towards her. She could tell it was him even with the oncoming darkness hindering her weak eyes; his radiant presence was too powerful to mistake.

"May I join you?" he asked.

Robecca nodded and he sat down on the sand beside her. Both of them sat in silence watching the others. Strangely, Robecca felt content in a way she had not felt for a long time, and it was not just because Jadis was vanquished and her prophecy children were here at last to bring about an era of peace. It was because she could feel another soul besides her own.

It was another thing she had not realized she had been lonely for. The presence of other humans, feeling them breathe Narnia's air and setting her Father's magic to rights, was a balm to her own crudely fashioned soul. And Peter's shone so brilliantly that while sitting so close to him, she was all but basking in the glare.

Peter couldn't sit quiet for long beside Robecca. He had been waiting almost two days for a moment when they could finally talk in private. He had far too many questions for this girl, but now that they were alone-- as alone as possible-- he didn't know where to begin.

"Where is Aslan?" he asked her at last.

"Probably informing the others of the proper protocol and procedure of a coronation, and making any other necessary arrangements," she said nonchalantly, almost humming the words to herself.

"And you don't need to be there?"

Robecca turned her deep blue gaze to him for a moment. Her expression was dreamy and it almost took his breath away. "Aslan is more... relatable to Narnia's children," she answered. "I was put in charge of _you_ children."

She smiled apologetically, and even that type of smile was enough to make the setting sun glow brighter. Peter did not feel affronted at all; it made sense that Aslan could speak to the creatures of the forest and Robecca would be spending time with the humans.

"You were the one who prophesized that we would come to Narnia one day, weren't you?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes," she answered simply, her fingers reaching up to fiddle with her necklace. Peter gaze darted to her hand when it moved, but quickly looked back to her face.

"How did you know?" he pressed.

She was looking curiously at him, tilting her head as if he were a puzzle she was trying to figure out. Her head dipped down to look at the necklace in her hands and Peter waited while she collected her thoughts, wondering what answer she would give.

But several quiet seconds went by and she didn't speak. Then she smiled secretly at him, and turned her mischievous smirk back to the sea.

She obviously was not going to answer that question, so Peter tried a different approach. "Why did you know that it was going to be us? What made us so special?"

"Because you _are_ special. You were meant to come to Narnia and be the kings and queens." She gave him a sidelong look. "You can't tell me you don't feel it was fated to happen. Why are you asking questions you already know the answers to?"

Because he couldn't ask her the questions he wanted!

He wanted to ask her about his dreams, why he already knew her before laying eyes on her, and why he had been chosen for this task. He wished she could be the girl he knew from his dreams, the one he could easily converse with as if they were old friends. Right now, he was tongue-tied and couldn't even determine the cause for his nervousness.

"Organize your thoughts, High Prince," she said comfortingly when she saw him growing frustrated, "and then I'll tell you whatever you want as soon as you know what that is."

Her voice was so soothing it quelled his worries instantly. Not even her slightly patronizing intent could annoy him, for it was her given right to be the matron mentor of everyone who lived in Narnia. It was her job to comfort, protect, and love everything of this world. Everyone, Aslan included, depended on her for guidance and support. In many ways, he realized, she was the mother of all her mortal children.

It was probably why he found her so appealing, she made him feel as loved and content as if he had been a small child consoled by his mother. It could be the only explanation of why he felt so drawn to her.

But he knew that was only the surface emotion. Each of his siblings and all new friends felt that way about Robecca, as if they could trust her whole-heartedly to protect them from any threat. He felt like that too, but there was more to the adoration.

As powerful as he knew she was, everything about her called out to him as... vulnerable.

Maybe it was the way her small shoulders were drooping, or the fact that she was shivering from her wet clothes, but there was something about her that made him want to gather her up in his arms and protect _her_ from all the dangers of the world.

To him, she was just a little girl, younger than him and in need of her own guardian. He couldn't seem to see passed this ordinary visage. Peter knew better than anyone that she was perfectly capable of defending herself, but even Lucy seemed less helpless than she.

Robecca was silent as Peter was pondering this. She herself was thinking about the way he easily dismissed the Royal Heart's magic. Even his sister, Susan, had shown a moment's interest before. This boy, who shined as much as Aslan had described, seemed immune to the stone's call. That, coupled with his easily wielding of the Sword of Truth, was a true testament of the spirit within his soul.

It was no wonder she had been able to link to him in his own world. And it certainly explained why his glow seemed to warm her through and through. She was as drawn to his beautiful soul as a mortal would be to the Royal Heart.

In truth, the comfort of being near him was almost healing in its power. It was like she had been thinking before, about being in dream during her whole life and only now feeling the wonders of humanity. His presence seemed to magnify that sensation.

"Robecca, you have been High Queen for a while, right?" Peter interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes."

"What's it like? Is it … difficult?" he asked tentatively.

Robecca tried to catch herself from laughing at his question, but could not help a chuckle. "You fearlessly run to confront the Wolf chief and a soulless enchantress, but you stop and ask if kingship is hard?"

Peter tried not to blush. He was not going to let a simple girl make him feel embarrassed. "Then tell me, what exactly to kings _do_? I've never trained or learned anything for this position, you know."

Robecca had already softened her amused response. Peter was as skeptic about his abilities as King Frank had been. But of course, having not known his whole life that he was destined for king would make anyone uncertain. Even she had felt that way when she had been told she would be given Narnia.

"First of all, kings rarely do anything as exciting as overthrow witches," Robecca responded, taking a moment to think. "They preside over populations and ceremonies, give banquets, make decisions, issue judgments, collect taxes, spend money, go to war, make peace with diplomats, produce heirs, and hand out rewards for feats of courage and valor."

Just like King Frank, Peter had been chosen because her Father had fashioned him in leadership, charisma, cleverness, and just enough humility to keep him selfless. There was no doubt that he had been born for this role.

"It seems like an awful lot of work to do for four people, let alone one," Peter said softly.

Robecca turned to look directly at him, both pairs of their blue eyes meeting each other, and Robecca felt that mysterious click again. It was not something she recognized, and it did not seem in any way threatening, so she let it slip from her mind.

"Being king, or queen, is the easiest job in the world if you know how to do it right," she answered. "You reacted accordingly when you saw the Witch strike down your brother, and that's all it takes to protect your Narnia children. Love your subjects as fiercely as your family, Peter, and then knowing how to defend and guide them comes naturally."

She turned her glorious smile on Peter again. "And _you_ were chosen by fate because you already know you will protect Narnia to the best of your ability. And I believe your best will truly rule Narnia the way it is meant to be."

Peter dipped his head, humbled by her faith. He didn't want to let this girl down-

No, this _Lady_, he corrected himself. It wouldn't do for him to keep thinking of her as his vulnerable sunshine girl.

She was a queen, a goddess, and mother of an entire nation. Although he might wish she was his own dream girl, she had just explained to him in small words that she considered all her people children. She had even called his siblings and himself children. It quite obvious she saw him as another child for her to protect.

But she just seemed so small and defenseless ...

"Now may I ask you something," inquired Robecca.

He raised his gaze to hers again. "Of course."

"How did you get into Narnia?"

Peter was taken aback, he hadn't even thought about his own world for several days. "Through the wardrobe... the wardrobe in Professor Kirke's home."

Robecca continued to look at him, apparently as puzzled as he was with the vague answer. "It must have been a magic wardrobe," he speculated. "And now that I think about it, it was a peculiar wardrobe. The wood seemed to not be quite cherry or maple, and it was far too polished and dusted for an underused old wardrobe."

"Who is Professor Kirke?" Robecca asked. "A friend of your parents?" _'And why does he have a magic wardrobe?'_

"No, we were staying at his estate because the air raids had made London too dangerous for the children. The government thought the war wouldn't reach into the countryside."

Robecca stopped playing with the sand in her hands. She didn't know what an _air_ raid was, but it had to be some sort of attack. But Peter had mentioned a war… and suddenly it was hard for her to breathe.

It couldn't be...

"Were the raids truly that bad?" she tried fishing.

"Not as bad as France or Belgium, I've heard. But at night, you could still hear the far-off explosions. And the crumbled buildings were still smoking the next day," said Peter gravely, remembering some of the terrible memories.

He was worried about his mother having to stay behind in that mess. There was no telling what might be happening to her now. And who knew what had become of his father. He could be dead in some muddy trench and Peter and his siblings would never know.

Robecca didn't miss his worried expression, knowing he must be thinking of all the friends left behind in his world. It made the squeeze around her heart even tighter.

She reached over and laid a hand on his knee, her touch sending tranquility and reassurance to him. His shoulders visibly relaxed as the problems of a different world were pushed to the back of his mind. Robecca only wished it were that easy to comfort herself.

Peter's words were echoing in her head. "war,... explosions, ... crumbled buildings,... too dangerous..."

Her whole offense, the original purpose Narnia had been created, was because her Father and brother had once predicted that her actions in Peter's world would cause a war that would lead to the greatest loss of human life in history.

Could this be the war they foretold? Was it her fault that the home Peter knew and loved was in danger?

England, France, and Belgium were all countries she had seen many times during her training in Father's world. They were lovely places with wonderful people, and it was hard to imagine they were all in the middle of a war. She didn't dare ask Peter which other nations might be involved. She cowardly didn't want to know the extent of the misfortune her actions had brought about.

Guilt swamped her as she continued to think on the subject. Her Father had been right all along: she knew nothing of dealing with unpredictable humans. Peter's own family was in jeopardy because she had violated the Law of Interference.

It was because of _her_ blunder that a war had broken out. Her fault that the children had been sent away from their parents… to a country estate that harbored a magic wardrobe to Narnia?

That made Robecca pause.

The children of her dreams had been sent away-- because of her-- to a place with a portal to Narnia… and all by coincidence?

She was a goddess, there were no such thing as coincidence.

A wooden wardrobe came from a tree that knew the way to Narnia? But nothing had ever left Narnia since its creation. The immigrants from the other worlds stumbled accidently into Narnia over the centuries. But once they were here, they never went back, no matter how much they did or didn't wish to.

Only she or Aslan could make doors out of this world. Jadis obviously could not or she would have left long ago. So how had a magical tree get out of Narnia-

Ahh.

After all, it had been on her brother's orders that she had given that fruit to Digory all those years ago. Her Father's magic had undermined her yet again, creating a portal for these children to enter Narnia… which never would have happened if she hadn't caused the war in the first place.

Robecca's mind kept turning that loop around. It all was connected and circling around somehow. Had this been her Father's plan all along? Was she _supposed_ to have Interfered all those years ago? Or had her Father created this destiny out of her error?

For that matter, was anything she did truly of her own making and the consequences her own to deal with? That hardly seemed like a credible circumstance, it was far too unpunishable.

But then again, she had caused a war for her prophecy children to appear, and paid with the lives of Narnians for this new freedom. Even if it had been meant to be, the price of the future was a heavy one.

"Look!" Peter suddenly exclaimed, breaking her out of her thoughts.

He was pointing to the sea. Several long green tails were splashing the water at the laughing Edmund and Lucy. The two younger ones tried running through the water, but fast trails of bubbles and musical giggles followed in their wake and cut off their escape.

"It seems the mermaids have taken Susan's side," remarked Robecca, her wayward thoughts forgotten.

Peter jumped up, amazed at the half-human creatures that were jumping out of the water. They seemed to be a school of children themselves, eager to play with the two-leggers. Susan was already working with them to surround Edmund and Lucy, who had been gaining up on her unfairly ever since Peter and Robecca had deserted her.

"Come on! You still have to introduce us to them," Peter told Robecca, grabbing her hand and pulling her as he ran back out to the surf.

Robecca stared down at the hand clutched around hers in astonishment.

No one grabbed her, or pulled her around. Ever.

She had been raised as a Daughter of Eve, but a clear distinction had always set her apart from her adopted brothers and sisters. Others only touched her with reverence, and as little as possible, believing this was the respectful thing to do.

Peter was treating her like she was just any other Daughter of Eve. Like one of the girls he would know at school who wouldn't think twice about being dragged toward the fun. And Robecca was anything but.

She was very aware of the contrast between his coarse skin and her satin hand. Calluses on his palm rubbed against her smooth skin. Those blisters must have arisen in just the last few days, earned by the pommel of his sword in the fight for Narnia.

Still, his grip was human skin she hadn't felt in centuries. And it was warm and friendly, and not at all unpleasant, so a small part of her couldn't help but welcome his hand. But overall, she wasn't quite sure what to make of his improper gesture.

The moment was significant enough to her, but it lasted only the few seconds it took for her and Peter to reach the waist deep water.

"Watch out! They have excellent aim," Edmund called. He was thoroughly drenched by now, not even caring that his new clothes were soiled with salt water. The girls' dresses were in just as sorry a state.

Their game had lured them out to the deep waters. Lucy was struggling to keep her head above the waves at this distance from shore, but her new friends were kindly holding her up as they continued the water fight. The mermaids' wordless smiles were friendly and trusting, and they certainly weren't about to let the young princess go down.

Robecca looked around at the half-drowned royals and another wicked idea occurred to her. Breaking the rules and tradition sounded completely appropriate given the new sense of freedom and fun she was feeling. Pulling her hand from Peter's, she took a breath and dove under the waves.

"Where did she go?" asked Susan when Robecca didn't reappear. They were not worried she would drown when their new friends were zipping gracefully around their legs, but she had been the first of them to submerge her head and finally get her hair wet. Once that happened, you couldn't call what they were doing merely shallow wading anymore, it was full-on swimming.

The surface of the water exploded as another mermaid jumped from the waves, scattering beads of water droplets that caught the sun and turned them to flecks of gold. The mermaid had long yellow hair, and instead of wearing seaweed and shelled clothing like the others, her top half was covered in a bright red shirt.

It was Robecca.

Her head popped up again and she smiled winningly at the children. "Come on," she called playfully to them.

Susan gave a shocked gasp. Edmund cried out as he slipped and his footing disappeared beneath him. Indeed, all the children's footing-- and _feet--_ vanished. For they all now sported long scaly tails where their legs had been a moment before.

"We- we're _mermaids_!" Lucy cried out excitedly. She quickly dived under and jumped out of the water, glad to be able to move in the water without the others' aid.

She giggled delightedly and came up smiling. The others too soon overcame the shock and started seeing the fun that could be had with these tails. They dove into the waves and chased each other to the deeper waters. Robecca swam along beside them, her Diamond Smile seeming to have the same effect on the underwater world as it did on land.

The children's laughter couldn't be heard underwater, but their smiles were almost as bright as Robecca's as they swam in loops and jumped out of the water, droplets creating dancing spirals in the fading sunlight. The water aerobics they preformed would have put any gymnast to shame, even if they weren't as agile and talented as the real leaping merfolk.

It was later that night, when it was very dark, that the children swam back to the beach. Then, tailless, completely salt-free and dry, they returned to their rooms and slept soundly all night.

* * *

It was late the next evening. Tiny lights flittered about the grand assembly room, chasing the merry musical notes that darted through the air and delighted the gathered guests. The excitement was dying down for the night after a full day of momentous occurrences, but it was evident that the rejoicing would start right back up in the morning and continue on for several days thereafter.

Several mothers had led their droopy-eyed children away to some of the many guestrooms the castle Cair Paravel provided, but many were still sitting or dancing about, listening to the soothing music coming from the scattered lutes and pipes. The atmosphere had become one which is shared by good friends and good wine when there is nothing one needs not feel content about.

It had truly been a long time since any of them had felt this type of overwhelming sense of peace, and a few were reluctant to leave the grand hall for fear this evening may turn out to be a wondrous dream. But all it took was a reassuring glance about the room to guarantee that the evil influence of the soulless White Witch was truly gone.

The crowns and tiaras of the new monarchs could be seen every so often out of the corner of everyone's eyes, catching the candlelight and making it dance in twinkling glimmers. Everyone was full and tired after feasting and dancing and playing all day. Their throats were sore from calling cheers all afternoon and taking part in the traditional songs that had not been heard in Narnia for generations. Many lounged or dozed in the assorted chairs and simply surveyed the grand hall.

Under the rainbow fairy lights, King Edmund was trying to teach Queen Lucy a waltz, and laughing encouragingly with her every time she stepped on his foot. He patiently attempted to match his long strides to her small steps, trying to make them appear as graceful and flawless as Peter and Susan, who were sweeping effortlessly across the ballroom. But, alas, it all seemed to be in vain as Lucy kept tripping over her new shoes. Nonetheless, both brother and sister were immensely enjoying themselves.

Their movements were regarded from a sleepy alcove of a bower of pillows. Robecca ran her hand through Aslan's mane as the great lion reclined in her lap. Her own silver tiara glittered atop her curls, which were only outshined in the flickering candlelight by Aslan's golden coat.

He seemed to almost be asleep, or least far too content and relaxed to be conscious, but his thoughts were most aware as he and Robecca exchanged memories and thoughts. His eyes were following the younger king of Narnia.

"_You were right, Robecca."_

"_Of course I was." _

"_The Son of Adam is already so much better."_

"_I know."_

There really was no need for them to put their thoughts into form for each other; their minds were so similarly in tune. The future was bright this night. The menace that had threatened them for so long was gone at last. They were together again, and they had the rest of a lifetime to make up for all the lost time.

A squeal came from across the room. Queen Lucy was being lifted off the ground by her big brother, High King Peter, and twirled around with her feet dangling in the air. They were both grinning so broadly that the shine of their expressions matched their new crowns.

As solemn as the children had been through the proceedings, it was this playful nature that had been ready to burst beneath their respect exteriors. Remembering the way they whooped and frolicked last night, Robecca decided she would like it better if these honorable-looking monarchs never lost that in frivolity.

The musicians struck up a lively tune to accompany King Peter's quick spinning, and others who had wandered off returned to the dance floor with renewed vigor. Soon you could hear clapping paws and tapping hooves keeping time with the music. Laughter and cheers floated around the dancers, moving their feet in awkward and entertaining combinations that no one bothered to correct.

Robecca regarded the High King as he twirled around with the youngest queen, her mind recalling the moment a few hours ago when he had knelt before her. Taking the last and largest crown from a dwarf mason, Robecca had set it upon his bowed head. Then she reached for the Sword of Truth and returned it to him, setting it into his outstretched hands.

Peter had taken the blade and vowed to her that he would use it to protect Narnia to the best of his ability for the rest of his days. Then before she had the chance to curtsy to the new kings and queens as a vow of her own fealty, he had winked at her, as if they were sharing a private joke right in the middle of his solemn oath.

Robecca did not know what to think of it. She had never had a private joke with a mortal before. Plenty of secrets, of course, but not one so playful.

'_They will do well,'_ Aslan consented, not hearing her personal thoughts. He was still watching the Peter's and Lucy's awkward dancing._ 'So, you never did tell me what magic you worked for the children last night.'_

Robecca giggled and remembered their games off the shores of Cair Paravel. If Aslan disapproved, he didn't show it. He trusted Robecca knew what was best when it came to humans.

"Come along. It's time we took our leave." Robecca wrapped her arms around Aslan and pulled him out of the room with her, both of them floating off into a cloud of mist.

Together they floated on the night winds across the sea, in no rush at all to get to their destination. Robecca felt the star sprites casting their light and let the glow brush over her being. Gulls and migrating birds flew by them, sensing their presence and instinctively trying to follow the warmer breeze they rode. Aslan sent them back to their islands before they got to far away from land.

When they at last arrived on their mountain paradise on the eastern horizon, Robecca crumbled into the velvet-soft grass and felt no motive to move. Aslan lay down beside her and she rolled her head onto his furry coat, finding a comfortable spot. They both sighed and Aslan began purring.

"I never thought we would be here together again like this," she whispered. "So many, _many_ years…"

"All will be alright now," he said, settling his head on his paws. "The wait will have been worth it."

"Yes. We will finally see our world as it was meant to be," she agreed. Maybe she could even mold those Calormen and Telmarines into civilized humans. Anything seemed possible with the prophecy children gleaming with their pure souls from their castle on the sea and sending weakness into malicious hearts.

United, there didn't seem to anything they couldn't accomplish.

Already a powerful force:

Edmund with his cleverness,

Susan with her compassion,

Lucy with her kindness,

and Peter...

Peter with his intuition and strength and courage…

His leadership, combined with the power of his siblings' hearts, would make everything they did a golden success.

"It does not seem you will be able to get your full share of them anytime soon," Aslan teased in response to her adoring thoughts.

"I doubt a thousand years of their adept rule will undo all the damage Jadis has caused, but they will surely begin the rebuilding process. Our Narnia will never be the innocent it was at birth, but they will guide our people toward the best future possible," she replied.

Then her mind began racing with all the many things that needed to be done. They had to recall the Archenland descendants from their refugee home on Galma, seek out the Witch's creations still in hiding, reclaim the eastern isles, establish the new diplomatic relations with Tashaban, commission new public works, and especially…

"All which can be done a later time," Aslan said drowsily.

"It seems an awful lot to accomplish," she mused, her thoughts running parallel to Peter's the night before. She admitted that his concerns deserved some credit. She was suddenly wondering, for all the energy and spirit the children possessed, would they really give the reconstruction the jumpstart it needed?

The children had been given to her world, and she knew they would be here for many years. Already she sensed the air in this realm robbing them of their youth. They would grow older, have lovely children of their own to inherit their thrones, and then, they would pass on to the next plane. Just like everyone else she had ever met in this world, they would die while she remained.

Aslan sensed her sadness. "I'll still be here," he reassured her.

Robecca set her hand upon his head to convey her love at his comfort, but she was examining her sadness, greatly puzzled by it. Never had anything felt like this before, the crushing weight of depression. She knew this was the way of things, the rules of her punishment, and she had always bitterly accepted it before. She had watched countless beloved faces grow old and felt their souls pass out of her world. Centuries of practice, and she had never gotten used to saying good-bye to her friends.

But now, with her prophecy children, she felt a very deep-set regret and melancholy, and she could not account for it. It couldn't be that she felt attached to them because they were they only humans she had seen after so many years. Maybe it was the gratitude and keen loyalty she gave to them for finally usurping Jadis.

But it couldn't be that, this was pain like none other she had ever felt. What could it be? Some other human emotion she had developed? Maybe what they called hero-worship?

Maybe that was it. That was why the thought of staying young while watching the children grow old seemed unbearable. Another human weakness she had acquired: fearing the loss of loved ones and they would be gone forever-

_Gone forever?_ How ridiculous!

Honestly, just look at the strain her thoughts were taking these days! Just like a regular mortals'! Was she forgetting everything she had ever known in her life before Narnia?

Gone forever. As in never meeting again and lost for eternity?

Of course _she_ knew better.

And this was a part of her sentence, which she had accepted wholeheartedly long ago. So why had these particular children pushed her over yet another edge and deeper into the abyss of mortality?

If this kept up, she would never regain her goddess personality when this was over.

* * *

"I'm just suggesting, it would not hurt to begin considering applicants for judicial positions. Then we would not have to be put out to travel so far for these legal proceedings. The sooner they begin their training, the better for us," Peter told Edmund riding at his side.

Edmund eased the reigns on his horse slightly so he could lean in toward his brother. This way the others would not hear his un-kingly words. "Right, Peter, that's just what we need everyday, more lessons," he rolled his eyes.

"These journeys to trial and judge prisoners still loyal to the White Witch are the only reason we get out anymore. I prefer spending several days _outside_ the palace than inside it learning historical dates and strange languages," Edmund groaned.

"Oh come. It's not all disinteresting facts."

"True, but it's so _boring_ to flitter away daylight hours. Winter's coming on, you know."

Peter shuddered with mock horror and Edmund laughed. While it was true that many Narnians were skeptic and unwelcoming of their first winter without the White Witch, the shortening days were indication that nature would go on no matter what they wanted.

"It would make these journeys less harsh on _her_," Peter said, solemn again. His eyes strayed behind them to the procession of centaurs and mounts following the kings' lead along the forest trail.

Robecca was walking along side the mounts of young Lord Dar and Darien of Archenland, who were attempting to persuade her to ride their horses. Peter felt a small spark of irritation at the way they were fawning over her. He could have told them just how worthless their pleas were; no matter where they travelled, Robecca always preferred to walk rather than ride. Her feet never seemed to get weary even on the coarsest of gravel.

"Has the High Queen complained?" Edmund immediately questioned.

"You know she would never, but I can sense it… when she speaks. Especially after these particularly extreme rulings," Peter responded.

"If the justice is too harsh for her, then she would not attend," said Edmund simply. "She knows we are perfectly capable of carrying out her verdicts."

Peter did not seem to hear him. His teeth gnashed together as he watched Robecca slip her tiny foot into Lord Darien's cupped hands and climb upon his steed. She must have finally given into his urges, maybe just to stop him from pleading annoyingly. But it still rankled Peter; Robecca had never given into _him_ when he had tried to do something courteous for her.

Now she was sitting upon Sampson, Darien's horse, and chatting friendlily with some of the other mounted Archenland noblemen and their horses. It must have been his eyes deceiving him, because he thought he saw the men gawking at the choker Robecca wore.

If he had been looking closer over the last few months, he would have realized they were always coveting some piece of the jewelry she wore. But Peter's eyes skipped over the Royal Heart so effortlessly that its splendor was lost on him. It was not the same with the Archlenland sons.

About two months ago, the descendents of the exiled Archenland citizens had arrived. Every Son of Adam that had gotten off their ships had taken one look at Archenland and Narnia, the magical homeland of their grandfathers, and not one had decided to go back to their adopted home of Galma.

At first, the four monarch children had been excited to meet humans other than themselves in Narnia. But it soon became evident that their company wasn't any different than that of any other talking raven or centaur, so the friendships that had formed were not any stronger just due to their similar race. At least their arrival had meant the children monarchs were not the rarest species in Narnia anymore.

The young king of the Archenland sons, King Lune, had been content enough to settle in the castle of his forefathers and take up the matters considering the creatures and humans in Archenland's borders. Both Lune and Peter had pledged alliance and friendship to each other, and Lune had no intention of imposing his advice on Peter and Edmund of how to rule a nation (though Peter would have welcomed a third opinion every once a while).

If Peter were truthful, he would admit he found King Lune (who was several years older than him) a bit daft, a trait which he and his siblings had laughed reluctantly about in secret. The man was burly and courageous enough, but he always seemed like he would prefer to be out hunting than keeping court. Indeed, Edmund had speculated the only reason Lune had left Galma was to quest for larger game.

Hopefully that slim girl he had just married would use her iron will to tame the wild side of him soon enough.

"Is that what you both were arguing about last night? You do not think she should be present for the penalties?" Edmund suddenly asked Peter.

The High King tore his gaze away from Robecca. He glanced swiftly at Edmund and then looked on ahead, not saying anything.

It was all the conformation Edmund needed. "Honestly, Pete, I don't know where you find the nerve to challenge her. Why cannot you be like the rest of us and simply accept her decisions, instead of getting into a row all the time?"

"We weren't even talking that loud," Peter said between his teeth. He wished he and Edmund were talking about a different subject.

"No, but you were still having a disagreement. Enough of one that passerby could hear the anger in your voices." Edmund sighed in exasperation. "Every time you object, and every time her logic proves to be concrete and her tactics flawless. I don't see how you have not learned to trust her."

Peter wheeled to face Edmund. "Of course I trust her! And I don't object to everything she says, ... only to what I know would harm her."

"She doesn't need your protection. It should be pretty obvious by now that nothing fazes her."

Peter couldn't answer his brother. He couldn't explain to him how he saw the very human pain behind her inhuman eyes. Her gaze dazzled everyone, but it seemed he was the only one who ever looked into their depths, trying to find what made them sparkle, and instead saw what he probably shouldn't.

She was intimidating, and sometimes daunting, but there were also times when he talked to her that he completely forgot that she was supposed to be a higher being. No one else seemed to share this same phenomenon when addressing her.

"It would soothe Susan's worries as well. She always afraid you will make Robecca mad enough that she will turn you into a frog," Edmund went on.

Peter huffed, tired with the conversation. "Just find some trustworthy people to appoint judges."

Edmund realized the discussion was over. He tried to lighten the High King's mood. "Fine, I'll start interviewing and recruiting between my dance and flute lessons. I'll probably end up choosing whoever can teach me the folk dances."

Both of them started laughing at jest, picturing a dignified judge in a powdered wig trying to do the Fox trot (a very different Fox trot than the one they had learned in their own world).

"What's so amusing?" the wind chimes in Robecca's voice asked. She had ridden up to Edmund's side, probably in attempt to escape Lord Darien's attentions. She smiled at Edmund, but her focus was on the trail ahead. A confused expression was slightly detectable on her face.

Peter turned forward, trying to see whatever she was looking at, but nothing appeared amiss on the forest trail.

"Robecca, if I name Madame Aquila the Judge Supreme, her new duties would keep her from teaching," Edmund told Robecca.

The High Queen slid her bemused eyes over to King Edmund. "You will not get out of your lessons so easily. Madame Aquila would feel obligated to make sure you learned all-the-quicker before she assumed her new role. She might even increase your rehearsals to thrice a day."

The ghastly look on her face made them laugh again. Her musical laughter joined theirs.

Her horse faltered a step, and immediately her expression turned serious.

"What is it, Sampson?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, my Lady," answered the restless horse, tossing his head, "but perhaps we should take a different route?"

Edmund's horse took a hesitant step too. "I agree, your Majesties. I don't like this way anymore."

Peter and Edmund's gaze darted around while Robecca laid comforting hands on the spooked horses.

"Come now, Phillip, buck up. A war horse like you should have nothing to fear," said Edmund moments later when nothing appeared wrong. "Even the birds still chirp bravely, and they are usually the first to spot danger."

Phillip tossed his head like Sampson and the horses nervously began walking again. Peter looked over at Robecca, but she had her eyes closed and was concentrating on something. The High King wasn't foolish; he knew how to pay attention to such subtle signs and take precaution .

Looking skyward, he whistled shrilly between his teeth. The golden eagle flying as look-out above dove down through the branches of the trees. The great bird landed on Peter's gloved hand and they conversed in low tones.

"Nothing to report, Your Majesty, but I can fly ahead and see what there is to see." The eagle took off above the treetops and disappeared from view.

"My Kings, I smell a fresh kill," said a gangly young panther at Peter's side. "There might be a preying animal close by."

Peter and Edmund shared a look, and their hands fell to the pommel of their swords in unison.

"Warn the others to be prepared. We will find out what the menace is and hopefully avoid conflicting it," King Edmund ordered the panther.

The alert spread through the party, and the jovial chatter stopped as the escorts fingered their weapons. Their steps became swift but cautious, all of them scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of danger.

"No doubt it is a dragon, or another party of giants. And they are coming to skin us alive and eat the meat of our bones. It's too late to run by this point," muttered a marsh-wiggle somewhere behind them.

Out of the corner of Peter's eye, he caught Edmund rolling his eyes in exasperation. The gloomy personality of the marsh-wiggles left something to be desired in a travelling party.

"Never fear, Master Wiggle, the High King's sword has fatally bitten more giants than you could count in your lifetime," exclaimed an enthusiastic young colt who carried another Archenland lord on his back.

Peter could not help but blush slightly at this presumption for the recent misconception. He kept his eyes facing directly forward, certain that if he turned his head to the side, Edmund would burst out loud with the laughter he was holding back with a bitten lip.

After the first battle of the Ettinsmoor giants, Peter had finally named the glorious sword that Father Christmas had given him last year. Rhindon now lay in its place of honor against Peter's thigh, his ready hand on the jeweled pommel. Somehow, a rumor had spread through the ranks that the bestowed appellation was an adaptation of the giants' word for "teeth," implying that Peter had meant the sword to be a 'devourer of giants.' He only hoped the accidental impertinence wouldn't provoke the giants to seek retribution.

Peter's discomfort distracted Robecca. It seemed she was beginning to develop another perspective sense where Peter was concerned. She couldn't quite explain why it was happening, but she figured it had to do with the bond that had formed between them when she instilled her hope and faith in him.

She took a moment to alleviate his embarrassment, recognizing at the same time that she never had done so this often for any other mortal before. She felt a tingle of guilt for favoring him, but she rationalized that he needed to stay alerted to the current danger instead of his ungrounded indignity. (If he had only known the other names that Sword had gone by, the dishonor of his own petty name would have been deeper.)

Unbeknownst to Robecca, there was an instinctual part of her being, reluctant in admittance of its existence, that would never suffer any distress on Peter's behalf. Not if it was in her power to prevent it.

Refocusing on the unknown threatening source of power, that intuitive part of her was preparing to defend her kings, but especially Peter.

Robecca did not know how to describe what she was sensing. Every intelligent creature in Narnia was known to her, for each one possessed a small bit of her own essence that she had bestowed upon them in creation. For this reason, she could distinguish and detect every living thing around her.

And Sons of Adam were easy enough to perceive, the rich souls that continued confound her were usually stoic with their great power.

But this new presence... she didn't know what it was. She couldn't even deem it a soulless presence.

She could detect no part of her essence or a soul in the clearing up ahead, but it wasn't entirely animalistic either. If she had to make a guess, she would say it was a demoted demi-god, like the Silenus and Bacchus shadows that roamed the land. But it was not a presence of that much magic, and it seemed more… empty than that.

When at last the party beheld the cause of the disturbance, they did not know how to react. Their readiness to attack was replaced with repulsion.

Before them appeared to be two identical infant Daughters of Eve, sitting upright in strange grass-woven clothing. They might have been considered beautiful children if they had beheld them from a farther distance, but up close it was apparent how very unnatural they were. Long wild black hair hung down their backs in meshed tangles. Their green slits of eyes, like that of a cat's or snake, regarded the remains of a nearly-devoured stag at their feet.

The creatures picked at the chunks of bloody flesh off the body and seemed to swallow without chewing. Their open mouths held rows of sharp pointed teeth, and their skin (upon closer inspection) was scaly like snakes. The two creatures didn't even look up from their meal at the newcomers, but hissed and spit at one another for the last chunks of meat still hanging off the bones of the carcass.

Before Robecca, Peter, or anyone else could overcome their shock to register a response at the dreadful sight before them, two hideous hags suddenly appeared on the border of the clearing. There was a split second while they all perceived each other, then the two hags raised their arms together in unison.

One hag pointed at the infant creatures, still obliviously eating, and ran towards them. The other hag pointed one of her arms at Robecca, a look of pure hatred and vengeance on her face, while her second arm made a sweeping motion that encompassed the rest of the party.

Black magic stirred the air in the initial ripples a split-second before its effect. Robecca barely used the time to throw her magic out to protect her companions from the magical harm, but the offensive spell had not been intended to injure. It seeked out and lashed at the minds of the Sons of Adam, while her spell to shield them actually back-lashed to her in a flare-up of her own power.

All of this happened simultaneously. Robecca saw the first hag reach the infants and disappear with them into thin air, while also realizing that the spell thrown onto her had been a trap spell that activated the moment she reached for her magic.

When Robecca would have cast her next spell to find out where the hag and infants had gone, the Royal Heart in her choker necklace blazed bright red and reached to connect to the mind-spell on the Sons of Adam. Suddenly, Robecca found herself being attacked by all of the Archenland nobles and Edmund.

They advanced upon her, blocking her view of the clearing and all escape. Their eyes were lifeless and grey from the powerful charm. Their movements were robotic as they assaulted the warhorse she rode, not even feeling the realizing the danger or noticing strain of strength.

Robecca cried out as she was pulled off Sampson and wrestled to the ground. The horse valiantly tried to nose the Sons of Adam away from her without actually biting them. Robecca, too, was reluctant to hurt them, and instead tried ripping away the cobwebs in their minds with her magic.

"St-Stop... Stop them!" a voice, Peter's voice, suddenly called out.

He was wrestling with an overwhelming urge to fall asleep, to surrender to the weight that was pressing on his mind, but a part of him recognized the magical influence of the hypnotic spell. But then he saw his brother turn and attack Robecca, and the last vestige of magical grogginess was thrown off in the volcanic eruption of protectiveness.

The centaurs and talking dogs in their party tried pulling the Sons of Adam off Robecca, who was in danger of being trampled because she refused to hurt her assailants, but the humans were crazed with the desire to rip the choker off the girl. Their hands became claw-like as they all pushed each other away in attempt to be the first to grab the bloody stone that had turned their entire vision red.

With the befuddling effects of the hag's spell gone, Peter dismounted his horse and surged toward the scrambling pile of human limbs. He ripped Lord Dar non-too-gently away, prying his fingers from Robecca's arm.

"Mine! I've got it!" exclaimed Lord Darien loudly.

Peter turned to see the man holding Robecca up by her throat, her feet kicking in the air and her fingers gripping the hand he was squeezing around her throat.

"Release her!" Peter ordered, already flinging himself toward them.

Robecca was wriggling and gasping as Peter threw his weight into Lord Darien's middle. The man went "umph" and fell backward with Peter's momentum. The noble's death-grip eased just enough that Robecca was able to pull away from him, dragging in a desperate breath and clutching her throat.

The two men rolled twice, but Peter's intent was sharper and he got the upper hand. Even as Peter straddled the wretched man and proceeded to beat him into unconsciousness, Darien's hand tried to reach around the High King to grab the Royal Heart again. And Edmund was coming up out of the corner of Robecca's left eye, the same mad desire in his dark eyes.

"SLEEP!" she roared, throwing strong magic into the command.

Edmund stopped mid-step, his out-reached hand falling to his side. His eyes rolled up as his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the grass. All the guards and attackers also instantly slumped over and slid to the ground, their breathing light and their eyes shut. Peter slid off Darien's chest and snoozed beside the snoring man.

Taking a moment, Robecca caught her breath, and felt the burn as the Royal Heart healed the bruises on her neck. She had thrown a lot of magic into the sleep spell to overpower the hag's spell of desire, but as she tested the minds of the Sons of Adam, she saw the dark power was already weakening with distance. She tore out the rest of the black magic that surrounded them, and then sent a tracking spell to discover where the hags and infants had gone to.

Still shaken, she picked her way out of the sleeping party and headed toward the clearing where she had seen the infant creatures.

'_Aslan,'_ she called out.

'_Robecca! What is happening? Nearly half of Narnia's north has fallen asleep.'_

'_That was me. I was... attacked.'_

'_What! By whom?! I'll tear them to ribbons!'_

'_Peace, Aslan dear. They were enchanted by a hag who had more magic than any hag should have.'_

By then, Aslan had appeared in the clearing. He took in the shredded stag carcass and the sleeping kings and their guard, but he was more interested in sniffing the air.

'_What is this scent? What creature-- no, two-- creatures were here?'_

Robecca then showed Aslan her memories of what had happened.

'_They did not want to fight. They ran away from you in fear. We must discover why,' _said Aslan when he had seen her story.

'_They weren't the hags' offspring. Although they were there to protect the childr- infants, I could also sense they were also afraid of the little creatures,'_ Robecca responded.

"_I cannot detect any trail of their presence. If it weren't for the overwhelming smell, I wouldn't believe they had been here. Because I cannot relate their spirit imprints, they must be some type of human."_

"_It is the same with me, Aslan. Their spiritual footprints are as hidden to me as any creature of your kingdom. I would swear they are not human and you would swear they are not animal."_

Aslan was silent as he inspected the clearing and the dead carcass, his unsettling feeling was shared by Robecca.

"_It smells like it was-"_

"_No, that is impossible,"_ Robecca interrupted firmly before he finished the thought.

"_But surely you feel the similar presence. Could there be the smallest possibility it was?"_

"_No, it couldn't, Aslan. I didn't merely kill her, I destroyed all tainted spirit within her. There was nothing left of her remains, not on this plane or any others."_

"_Very well, my lady. This isn't the right scent anyhow. There's a mixture of… giant, hag, and… snake? I believe."_

Aslan finished searching the clearing for scent clues. _"I'm following your tracking spell. I don't like not knowing about strange creatures in our world."_

She sent the mental wish that he would be careful.

He acknowledged her concern and vanished.

* * *

Deep magic meant to conceal and protect formed a thick barrier behind the northern manor. The purpose this wall of mist served was the most significant of her Father's magic, and like the manor, its likeness could have been found in every world. Nothing grew in the space of the magical fog, for the very air hummed with deadly electric energy of ancient magic. Anyone who tired to approach the invisible wall would find themselves walking back in the other direction with no memory of what they had seen minutes earlier, and lacking any intention to return.

The only ones who had ever seen beyond the barrier never returned, for once crossed, they would pass onto the next plane of existence. It didn't matter if they were reluctant to come this way or not, since it was impossible to travel twice through the wall.

Robecca had effortlessly brushed by the lethal shielding spells as if they weren't there; their powers having no effect on her at all.

She now stood on a high cliff that looked out beyond the edge of the world. A hallow wind that had no beginning and raced to nowhere swirled around the mortal fabric of her human dress. Within the thunderous gale could be heard the babble and screams of countless mortals, and it was filled with ancient scents that had been carried in and out of hundreds of worlds for a million eras. The blast was such that even the mightiest of trees would have been blown away to splinters in a matter of seconds, and yet Robecca trembled because the wind's velocity was not as strong as it should have been. And the unspeakable sight before her explained the cause.

"_Oh my Father,... my brother... what has happened?"_

But not even here on the outer limits of her world would they speak to her.

The vast sight beyond the barrier was hidden for good reason. Spirits forced to pass along on the precipice did so to learn their own humility and the place they held in the grandest scheme in all the universes. There was only one path, and it led down to the next plane, where the cosmic sight was repeated only as a larger and more vibrant copy. To continue on the downward path would take one through the infinite planes, each one grander and more beautiful than the last.

That's where Aslan found her some time later, still staring out into the bright ocean of starlight while her hair billowed out behind her in the supernatural gust.

"They have vanished! The ground and waters tell of the passage of two extraordinary infant demons, but the trail runs cold in the giants' country. Maybe after you have interviewed them, we will know more about where they came from."

When Robecca didn't answer, Aslan turned to look with divine eyes.

Along the rim of the great chasm before them, all the worlds of their various universes rotated in bright eclipses, like the giant spooks on a great wheel. The glowing trails of star sprites and Arch messengers usually threaded through the orbiting realms, the remnants of their passage as they rushed along on her Father's errands. But the only visible trails were not fresh.

The usually bustling place had a desolate emotion about it (for all things and places live and feel even if not in the same way mortal creatures do). And especially here, where the Time Stream's powers influenced the passing in the worlds, the deserted place made one feel like all the light of in all the worlds would not be enough to overcome the vestige of sadness that emitted from it.

"They… they've stopped?" asked Aslan disbelievingly.

While the worlds were supposed to spin around each other, they also needed to turn on their own axis. It was the way the worlds were connected to each but at the same time independent in their own way.

Except they were not turning now.

Every single world was stock still as they orbited the central chasm. The only one still moving was Narnia, unattached as it was from the others.

From here, Robecca and Aslan could see into the different worlds with their far-reaching eyes; there was no fabric of matter to obscure their eyes. And the result of the stillness was eerily evident.

Everything had stopped. The mortals in the middle of their lives were frozen in place. No breath escaped them. Their bodies weren't aging. The suns of the worlds were not circling the planets. The rivers and clouds had stopped flowing along their currents.

Every world had come to a stand-still. Every world save for the one Robecca and Aslan stood on the edge of.

"It's my Father's world," Robecca pointed out.

Aslan focused on the home world of Lord Adam and Lady Eve. A gaping hole had been removed from the realm, and the turning of the other worlds had stopped as a result. The gears that would normally click together to spin the giant mechanism was missing a single wedge, causing the whole thing to halt as the gears clinked absently against each other in an attempt to start up again.

"A missing piece? Which?"

"I have been trying to determine that," replied Robecca. She had been spending this time searching her Father's world- Peter's world- to discover what crucial element was missing that would stop the entire flow of the Time Stream.

So much had changed in that world since the last time she had seen it. It was fascinating to explore the world in this single instant in time.

So many new inventions and styles. The clothing, the expressions, the cities.

The war.

Flying vehicles frozen in time and releasing giant metal contraptions that seemed to explode once they touched the ground. She remembered what Peter had told her of the air raids, and now understood from the look of terror on the cowering victims what horror she had instigated.

It was terrible, but wonderful too, because she took the liberty of looking into the Pevensie household. Peeking into the bedrooms, examining the strange things and clothes, scouring the family pictures and recognizing the faces she had dreamed of for centuries.

She traveled along the streets that showed many spiritual trails left by the children, following them to the various schools and buildings they had visited during their lives, comprehending more of the life they had left behind.

"The source still eludes me. What is causing this?" demanded Robecca.

"I think… the children are," Aslan said hesitantly.

Robecca whirled to him, the tiny icicles that had formed on her human skin from the gales breaking off from her lashes.

"That can't be it. Sons of Adam have stumbled into our world countless times over the centuries. Why would they be the ones to stop the spinning of their world, and in turn, the others?"

"Why indeed? The countless others happened upon Narnia, but we knew of these children long before they departed. As was their destiny to come to our world, it is their fate to return to their own. And so their world awaits their homecoming exactly as they left it."

"But… how can you be sure? For although the Time Stream has stopped spinning the worlds, the Stream that controls Narnia still flows. They are growing older… Peter's birthday is next month, and it is evident he has grown in our world."

"I can be sure, my lady, because I look at you and see that you too have molded your aging to Narnia's years. Whatever piece of the Time Stream the children brought from their world, it has affected you as well. You have grown this year as any other Daughter of Eve would have."

Shaken at Aslan's words, Robecca ran out of the nebula cloud, through the barrier for mortals, and back into the manor house made from her Father's magic.

Once there in her Father's orchid, she fell to on her human knees on the grass and wrapped her arms around herself. It was the first time in her whole mortal life that she had felt this unsettled and unsure. Not even facing Jadis had unraveled her resolve.

She truly didn't know what her Father had intended for her in this new turn of events. She had endured so many trials already, and now this recent development had changed the rules yet again.

Growing along Narnia, that had been the punishment. Cursed to the sporadic timeline that would prohibit her from forming life-long relationships, but loving every soul and spirit of her world so that their deaths would pile the grief higher and higher on her human heart.

She thought she had understood the penalty, that she had finally come to terms with the pain, but Aslan was right. She was aging at the same rate as the children, finally growing like a common Daughter of Eve in her own world. Was she supposed to live out the rest of her sentence with the prophecy children? Or would they be snatched away from Narnia at any moment, casting the world back into darkness?

..._And leaving me alone again._

Where had that thought come from?

Preposterous! She had never been alone. Aslan and the star sprites and Marcusolni and the water gods had been around just long as she had. Why would she even think something like that?

The conditions may have changed, but certainly that hadn't. So where was this fear of loneliness coming from?

Aslan was waiting beside her, patiently giving her all the time she needed to absorb this new information. It was a shock for him too, but he knew it would be doubly so for Robecca. He felt her chaotic emotions changing too fast in her mind for him to follow, so he instead contemplated the potential disastrous and beneficial consequences of this change.

However, the only modification he could foresee was Robecca's punishment being over faster than they had first believed. Perhaps the kings and queens were to serve another unseen purpose: they would help Robecca fulfill her penalty ahead of schedule. By that logic, they would be home before another Narnia century had passed.

"Mistress?" Aslan nuzzled her side worriedly.

Robecca shot immediately to her feet. However long she had crouched there absorbing the shocking revelation, she had arrived at the same conclusion as Aslan. She only had one lifetime left in Narnia years, and she would be privileged enough to spend it with the kings and queens.

"This is a blessing," she told Aslan, for that is what she recognized it as now: a way to terminate her sentence early. Perhaps defeating Jadis had been her ultimate challenge and by passing it, parole had come in the form of her prophecy children.

It was such a wonderful and unexpected gift! It was the best reason she had to celebrate ever since she and Aslan had been told they would be given a world of their own.

In a few short years, they would be back home with her brother and sisters.

Home. Where all of her powers would be restored, and she would be rid of the cursed Royal Heart.

They could govern their world from the omnipresent location, and delegate the duties more efficiently. They could even designate the Arch messengers to carry out the management details. She and Aslan may even have time to visit other worlds again.

Such a glorious dream, and all it begged was a few more mortal years.

Surprisingly, the joy she felt was not due to the lovely thought that her trial was almost over, but because it was Pet-- the kings and queens who would share her remaining years. They would be the delightful memories most vivid when she returned home.

"A few more mortal years, Aslan. Do you think we can manage it?"

Her friend shook his mane in a lion-like chuckle. "If there is one thing this ordeal has taught me, it is patience. I will need the years to finish my own prophecy as well."

"Oh? You have fully undertaken the Archenland project?"

"I have to admit that these Sons of Adam have begun to grow on me. The world was not quite the same when they were not here. I figured I might as well perform one interactive manipulation while we are here." He pawed the ground, "And I couldn't very well let that baby prince die, anyway."

"But he had a twin brother to assume the throne instead, so it would not have been a complete waste. But heavens, listen to us! Here I am the one rationalizing the waste of a human life while you are the one trying to protect it."

"Quite a reversal of our roles, is it not? No doubt this punishment has taught us more than we realize." He licked her hand. "We have grown together."

"You can never know how grateful I am to you, my dearest Aslan," Robecca found herself saying.

Aslan was just as puzzled as she was over the blurted declaration. Begging pardon and conveying emotions verbally was not a practice gods were accustomed to doing. It was quite pointless when one already knew the emotions the other was feeling.

"Why, thank you for the compliment, Robecca. But really, what a human thing to say! It is a good thing we are leaving this world soon, you become more and more like those children every day."

* * *

**So just out of curiosity, has anyone figured out my favorite Disney movie yet? If I make any more references to it, I'm going to have to start disclaiming that movie too!**

**And someone asked which songs I listen to for inspiration of this story. Well, this part of the romance is kinda influenced by Aqua's 'My, Oh My.' And when I get into the later books, the soundtrack I always put my day-dreaming to was Britney Spears' first album 'Baby One more Time,' especially the second half of the album's songs. And yes, I know that is totally lame, but like I've said, I was really young when I first imagined this. And she was talented at one point! If your memory can go back that far. **


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